Veteran journalist and politician Dele Momodu has asserted that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is the only Nigerian politician capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu.

In a recent episode of The Honest Bunch podcast, Momodu stated, “Atiku is the only one today who is not afraid of Tinubu. Every other person cannot face him, including Mr. Peter Obi that was used by Atiku [in 2019].”

Momodu also expressed skepticism about the political alliance between President Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

He suggested that Wike might be sidelined after serving his purpose, saying, “Wike, I have no doubts, they [the presidency] will use him and dump him.”

Addressing his stance on not supporting President Tinubu despite past associations, Momodu acknowledged Tinubu’s generosity but criticized any notion of unquestionable authority in politics.

He remarked, “I cannot stand anything that suggests that your word is law and nobody dares challenging it. Even Baba Awolowo, people argued with him.”

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has explained why he rejoined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after previously leaving for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Sani initially left the APC in October 2018 due to disagreements over the party’s primaries. He later joined the PDP, where he secured a senatorial ticket but lost the 2019 election to Uba Sani, who is now the governor of Kaduna State.

On February 16, he officially returned to the APC along with some members of the PDP and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kaduna.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Hard Copy on Friday, Sani said his decision was influenced by reconciliation efforts led by the Kaduna State governor. “A lot of us left APC in 2018 due to certain issues, but those circumstances have now changed,” he said.

He recalled being a founding member of the APC in Kaduna, helping to build the party’s structures and campaign for the 2015 elections at both the senatorial and governorship levels. However, things happened between him and then-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, leading to his exit from the party.

“Our disagreements were political, personal, and related to state matters,” he explained. “Now, we have a new governor who has been reaching out, consulting, and trying to unify people across the state. After discussions, we agreed to return to the party we originally helped build in Kaduna.”

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other key northern figures have pushed back against a call by APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje for the North to hold off on contesting the presidency until 2031.

Ganduje made the statement while hosting a delegation from the Tinubu Media Centre and the Tinubu Northern Youth Forum at the APC headquarters in Abuja. He argued that since former President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, served two terms, it would only be fair for President Bola Tinubu to complete eight years as well.

However, northern leaders strongly disagreed. ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, dismissed Ganduje’s stance, calling it an attempt to impose loyalty in a way that does not reflect democratic values.

He made it clear that voters cannot be pressured into supporting a candidate. “What he said is just his opinion. Voters will decide whether to accept, reject, or modify it.

In 2015, people were sold promises of anti-corruption and other things, only to realize later that they weren’t true. Then, in 2023, ‘Renewed Hope’ was introduced, but for many, that hope is now turning into a nightmare,” he said.