A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bashorun Dele Momodu, has described former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the most experienced among the leading opposition presidential contenders, arguing that his experience at the national level distinguishes him from Peter Obi and President Bola Tinubu.
Momodu made the assessment on Wednesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, while discussing the credentials of the major political figures expected to feature in the 2027 presidential contest.
“If you look at the antecedents of the three major candidates and the two major opposition candidates, between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, you will see that Atiku is the most experienced. He has managed our country, Nigeria, at the highest level, the presidency, and his impact is still felt and spoken about till today,” he said.
Momodu traced Atiku’s political experience to the 1992 presidential primary of the Social Democratic Party, where he contested against the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola before stepping down for him. He said Atiku accepted the decision without creating a political crisis, even after he was not selected as Abiola’s running mate.
“He is the only one who started from around 1992, contested the SDP primary against M. K. O. Abiola and after he stepped down for Abiola, Abiola became victorious in their party, SDP, and eventually went on to win the presidential race on June 12, 1993. He was appealed to step down for Abiola, and he did this with uncommon equanimity. He did not make any noise, he did not make any fuss about it. That was the first time he was able to show himself up as a true democrat”.
According to Momodu, that episode demonstrated Atiku’s democratic credentials and ability to accept political decisions. He also noted that Atiku was among the founders and funders of the Peoples Democratic Party, before serving as vice-president under former President Olusegun Obasanjo from 1999 to 2007.
Momodu argued that Atiku’s experience in the presidency and his subsequent business activities gave him an advantage over politicians whose experience, in his view, had largely been concentrated at the state level.
“Of course, Peter Obi has tried his best. His best was demonstrated in Anambra State in the southeast of Nigeria, while Atiku’s best is at the level of vice president, controlling, managing the economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“So, the difference is clear between both of them. He has matured in peace, in experience, and in exposure.”
The ADC chieftain extended his comparison to President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the president’s political experience had been largely shaped by his years in Lagos before assuming office at the national level.
Tinubu’s political career includes his tenure as a senator during the Third Republic, his involvement in the pro-democracy struggle against military rule, and his two terms as Lagos State governor from 1999 to 2007. He later played a prominent role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which brought together several opposition parties ahead of the 2015 general election, before winning the presidency in 2023.
Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, meanwhile, built his reputation largely around his eight-year tenure in Anambra State, where his administration emphasised fiscal management and reforms in sectors including education and healthcare. After serving as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election, Obi contested the 2023 election under the Labour Party, emerging as a major opposition figure.
“What I’m trying to say is that Tinubu’s experience was limited to Lagos, and that is why when he became president, he thought Nigeria was Lagos. And he has found out now that Nigeria is not Lagos,” Momodu said.
He rejected the suggestion that Tinubu’s time as president had necessarily made him more experienced than Atiku, arguing that the country’s current economic difficulties undermined claims that the administration had delivered the prosperity it promised.
“Well, we are yet to see that prosperity, and if yesterday would determine today and tomorrow, it is obvious that Tinubu should retire now and let someone else do it,” he said.
Momodu maintained that Atiku’s experience at the national level, particularly his time as vice-president, made him better positioned to lead the country.
He also argued that Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, while significant, did not offer the same level of national executive experience.
