Fani-Kayode Slams Dele Momodu for Comparing Tinubu to Abacha

Fani-Kayode Slams Dele Momodu for Comparing Tinubu to Abacha

Lagos – Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has fired back at media entrepreneur and politician Dele Momodu after the latter compared President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to former military ruler Sani Abacha during a televised interview over the weekend.

Momodu had reportedly criticised the Tinubu administration, describing the president’s leadership style as “dictatorial”, prompting a strong rebuke from Fani-Kayode, who described the comparison as “unfair, disrespectful, and misleading”.

Fani-Kayode took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disapproval, saying Momodu’s remarks were not only offensive to President Tinubu, but also to the Vice President, federal ministers, senators, and newly appointed ambassadors, many of whom he said possess substantial governance experience. He wrote:

“I love Dele and God knows I have immense respect for him, but he sounded drained, tired, and broken and spoke little sense yesterday in his interview.”

READ ALSO:

• Olu Agunloye Reduced Federal Govt’s Equity in Mambilla Project by $900 Million
• Zakatul Fitr: Rules, Amount, Timing and Distribution Before Eid al-Fitr
• EU, UK Reject Trump’s Call for Military Action to Secure Strait of Hormuz

He urged Momodu to take a break from politics and political commentary to “overhaul his intellectual engine” and avoid spreading negative narratives about Nigeria’s democratically elected leaders.

Fani-Kayode stressed that President Tinubu operates within a democratic framework, unlike Abacha, whose military regime was marked by authoritarian rule. He emphasized that comparing a democratically elected president to a military dictator undermines the principles of constitutional governance and misrepresents Tinubu’s administration.

He also criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the party to which Momodu belongs, advising its members to focus on strengthening the party and building a credible opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections, rather than obsessing over attacks against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The ADC cannot even be described as a sinking ship but rather as a badly patched up inflatable plastic life boat… How can such an ill-prepared contraption even float, let alone do battle?” Fani-Kayode wrote, highlighting the party’s lack of organization, leadership, and political influence.

In his rebuttal, Fani-Kayode also used religious and symbolic language to emphasise his points, urging Momodu to abandon negative political commentary. He concluded by asserting that President Tinubu had started well, is performing competently, and will “end well” with no regrets by 2031.

The response has sparked widespread debate on social media, with some defending Momodu’s freedom of expression as a commentator, while others agree with Fani-Kayode’s assessment that comparing Nigeria’s democratically elected president to a former military dictator is misleading and inflammatory. Political analysts say the exchange underscores growing tensions in Nigerian political discourse, particularly between ruling and opposition party figures.

Fani-Kayode Slams Dele Momodu for Comparing Tinubu to Abacha