By James
Kindly share:
Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister, has issued a harsh rebuke to media entrepreneur-turned politician, Dele Momodu, after the latter likened the administration of President Bola Tinubu to the era of former military ruler Sani Abacha.
The clash followed comments made by Momodu, a chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), during a televised interview in which he suggested that the current political climate in Nigeria was beginning to resemble the authoritarian atmosphere of Abacha’s regime.
Speaking during a programme on Channels Television on Sunday, Momodu argued that Tinubu’s political style had long shown signs of strong-man tendencies. According to him, those tendencies were already visible during Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007.
Momodu said that events since then had reinforced his concerns about the president’s leadership style.
He argued that observers who now compare the present administration to the Abacha era may not be exaggerating, suggesting that the direction of governance under Tinubu was raising serious democratic questions.
The comments quickly triggered reactions across the political space, but none was more scathing than the response from Fani-Kayode.
In a statement posted Monday on his social media platform, the former minister, recently nominated as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Germany, dismissed Momodu’s remarks as misguided and intellectually weak.
While acknowledging his long-standing personal relationship with Momodu, Fani-Kayode said the interview reflected what he described as a troubling decline in the publisher’s political judgment.
According to him, Momodu appeared “drained, tired and broken,” and his arguments lacked coherence and substance.
Fani-Kayode advised the veteran journalist to temporarily withdraw from political commentary, suggesting that he needed time to regain clarity and intellectual balance.
The former minister also accused Momodu of showing disrespect not only to the president but to key figures in the current administration, including the vice president, ministers, senators and recently appointed ambassadors.
He argued that many of those individuals possessed deeper governance experience than Momodu and deserved greater respect in public discourse.
Fani-Kayode did not stop at defending the president. He used the opportunity to launch a sweeping criticism of the ADC, the political party to which Momodu belongs.
In a blistering assessment, he described the party as structurally weak and politically irrelevant.
According to him, the ADC lacks the organisation, leadership and strategic direction required to compete effectively in Nigeria’s complex political landscape.
He mocked the party as an “inflatable lifeboat” that had yet to leave harbour, suggesting that it possessed neither the institutional strength nor the political resources to challenge the ruling party.
“The ADC cannot even be described as a sinking ship but rather as a badly patched up inflatable plastic life boat that has not even managed to find its bearing or leave the harbour. It has no engine, no sails, no oars, no captain, no crew, no navigational equipment, no muscle, no firepower, no war chest, no destination,” he said.
Fani-Kayode further claimed that the growing movement of politicians toward the ruling party was not accidental but reflected confidence in the Tinubu administration and disillusionment with opposition platforms like the ADC.
Comparisons to the Abacha era carry significant political weight in Nigeria. The late military ruler governed the country from 1993 to 1998 following the annulment of the June 12 presidential election, widely regarded as one of the most turbulent periods in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Abacha’s government was widely criticised for its authoritarian style, human rights abuses, and suppression of political dissent.
As a result, invoking the Abacha analogy in contemporary political debate often signals concerns about authoritarianism or democratic backsliding.
The confrontation between Fani-Kayode and Momodu reflects the increasingly sharp tone of political debate in Nigeria as the country navigates economic reforms, security challenges, and shifting party alliances.
Both men are influential voices in the political and media landscape. Fani-Kayode, a former minister and prominent commentator, has become a vocal defender of the current administration. Momodu, publisher of Ovation International magazine and a long-time political activist, has often positioned himself as an outspoken critic of government policies.
Their exchange highlights the deep divisions within Nigeria’s political elite over the direction of the country under Tinubu’s leadership.
For now, the verbal sparring continues to reverberate across social media and political circles, underscoring how comparisons to Nigeria’s past, particularly the Abacha era, remain powerful triggers in the nation’s contemporary political discourse.
