ADC Primary: Atiku lacks funds to buy delegates, says Momodu
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has brushed aside claims that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could use money to improperly influence the party’s presidential primary.
Speaking on Thursday during Channels Television’s Morning Brief, the Ovation Magazine publisher said campaign funding should not be mistaken for bribery, stressing that finances are required mainly for logistics and election-day operations.
Momodu explained that effective campaigns rely on planning and organisation rather than cash inducements. He cited the 2024 United States presidential election, noting that despite Kamala Harris raising over a billion dollars—more than Donald Trump—she still lost the race.
According to him, campaign funds are largely deployed to safeguard votes and ensure proper monitoring at polling units, not to buy support from delegates.
Addressing Atiku’s financial capacity, Momodu said the former vice president does not have access to state resources, unlike some political figures who currently control state machinery.
“Atiku has been a businessman since leaving office in 2007 and does not control any state,” he said, contrasting this with politicians who wield influence through state power.
He therefore dismissed suggestions that Atiku could marshal billions of dollars to bribe delegates, adding that strategic planning—not money—was key to Atiku’s victory over Nyesom Wike at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary in 2022.
Momodu concluded that Atiku’s success has consistently hinged on strategy and organisation, not financial muscle.
