Veteran journalist and politician Dele Momodu has stated that Rotimi Amaechi is far superior to Peter Obi in terms of governance experience.
Speaking in an interview from 19:20 with Arise News on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Momodu defended former Vice President Atiku Abubakar against what he described as a well-coordinated campaign aimed at bullying him out of the 2027 presidential contest.
He pointed out that Amaechi served as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, governor of Rivers State for eight years, and Minister of Transportation for another eight years.
He insisted that Atiku is not a foolish old man and cannot be intimidated out of exercising his constitutional right to contest.
Momodu declared that he would not support Atiku if the former vice president acted against the constitution, but stressed that Atiku had done nothing unconstitutional so far.
He questioned the intense pressure on Atiku to step down and support Obi in the next election, asking why similar enthusiasm was not shown toward Amaechi, whose vast executive and legislative record he considered stronger.
Momodu expressed puzzlement over the widespread perception that Obi is an indispensable messianic figure, warning that treating any individual as the sole savior could harm strategic coalition-building.
He said, “Why can’t Obi be his Vice President? Why the hurry that it must be Obi? Why are you not campaigning for Amaechi? In terms of experience, he is far superior to Obi. He has being Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly for eight years, Governor and Minister for eight years. I still don’t understand why everybody thinks we have a Jesus Christ in our hands and if we don’t support him we are going to perish.”
The intervention followed Atiku’s Monday comment cautioning opposition parties against zoning the 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Atiku argued that such a move would be self-defeating against incumbent President Bola Tinubu, who is also from the Southwest, noting that no sitting president has historically lost to a candidate from the same region.
He urged political actors to focus on electoral numbers and national appeal rather than unwritten zoning conventions.
Arise TV anchor Rufai Oseni criticized Atiku’s zoning remarks during the station’s morning broadcast.
Oseni accused Atiku of hypocrisy and inconsistency, recalling that around 2011, Atiku’s allies went to court to argue that former President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, violated the PDP’s zoning formula by seeking to complete a northern term.
He questioned why Atiku now rejects the same zoning principle he once sought to enforce when it favored northern interests, describing the current stance as self-serving and opportunistic.
Oseni warned that such inconsistency could damage trust among opposition supporters and make it more difficult to forge a credible united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 election….Read_More…