A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has asserted that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is unlike President Bola Tinubu, who controls Lagos State resources.
Naijaonpoint reports that Momodu made the statement on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Morning Brief’ programme, while dismissing concerns that Atiku would use money to influence the party’s presidential primary.
Addressing speculation about Atiku’s financial capacity ahead of the ADC presidential primary election, Momodu said the former Vice President does not control any state resources like other politicians.
Dele Momodu questioned where Atiku would get billions of dollars to bribe delegates, stressing that strategic campaign planning, not money, won him the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary against Nyesom Wike in 2022.
He said, “Atiku is a business man. He has been a business man since he left power in 2007. He does not control any state in Nigeria. Asiwaju controls at least Lagos. I don’t know other states he controls personally, and he can do and undo. Wike controls Rivers.
“Atiku doesn’t have that. he’s been managing his business. So where will he get the billions of dollars to spend on bribing delegates? That’s why they use strategy to outsmart Wike, and that’s why Wike became inconsolable. Till today, Wike has not recovered because he was so sure that nobody could match him dollar for dollar.”
Momodu clarified that campaign funding should not be mistaken for bribery, noting that funds are needed for legitimate campaign logistics and election-day operations.
The ADC chieftain also cited the 2024 United States presidential election as an example, noting that substantial campaign funds do not guarantee victory.
He added, “It’s not just about money. When we talk about money, there are logistics. We’re not talking about bribing.
“Even in America, Kamala Harris outperformed Donald Trump in terms of raising funds. She had over a billion dollars to spend. She still didn’t win.
“You need, for example, on the day of the general elections, you need to make sure that you can manage every polling booth. Make sure nobody can rewrite your votes, nobody can steal your votes. That’s what we mean by money.”