“Wike Paid $30,000 Per Delegate During PDP 2022 Primaries” – Dele Momodu

Dele Momodu, the publisher of *Ovation* magazine and a former presidential aspirant, has claimed that Nyesom Wike, now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), paid \$30,000 per delegate during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2022 presidential primaries.

Speaking on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* on Monday, Momodu alleged that a former Nigerian president had cautioned him against contesting the primaries due to the scale of financial inducement allegedly employed by Wike. “A former president of Nigeria sent someone to tell me not to waste my money on the PDP 2022 primaries because Wike had raised the stakes to \$30,000 per delegate—\$30,000 multiplied by 774 delegates,” he said.

Momodu and Wike were both candidates in the primary election that ultimately saw former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerge as the party’s flagbearer. Reflecting on the process, Momodu said he had hoped for a fair contest, expressing disappointment in Wike’s approach. “What I expected of him was that if you weren’t going to support a man, if you’re going to run, run a fair race, and let’s leave it there,” he said.

He also criticized Wike’s conduct since becoming FCT Minister, describing his transformation as unsettling. “When a man who had been a nobody gets power, he begins to change slowly and steadily,” Momodu said, adding that Wike’s deference to his former political leader, Rotimi Amaechi, had vanished. “The oppressed man respects only one man: the oppressor. Wike used to respect only one man—Rotimi Amaechi.”

Momodu went further to accuse Wike of excessive drinking and arrogance in office. He recounted being introduced to a potent alcoholic beverage called Akeshi by Wike, who reportedly claimed it helped him function. “He drinks early in the morning. This is someone in public office,” Momodu said. “Wike is consumed by the power he holds. The spirit of power and money is demonic when not managed properly.”

In a final remark, Momodu urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider any political alliances with Wike ahead of 2027. “No matter what you are expecting to gain from Wike in 2027, Wike is not the kind of character you should promote; he is not the kind of young man who should hijack our common patrimony,” he warned.