Wike’s Aide Attacks Dele Momodu, Says He Publishes Photo Albums, Not a Journalist

Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and News Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed media personality Dele Momodu as a political opportunist and not a journalist.

Olayinka made the remarks while speaking on The Morning Show on Arise TV, during a panel discussion on the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly the disagreement between Momodu and Wike over zoning.

Responding to Dr. Reuben Abati’s comment that Momodu had been a journalist for over a decade, Olayinka said, “Let’s stop mixing things up. Dele Momodu has been in the business of publishing photo books, not journalism. Ovation was a photo album, not a news magazine.”

He further alleged that Momodu’s political activism is driven by personal interests, accusing him of supporting political figures for personal gain.

“He did the same thing for Rotimi Amaechi, for Bukola Saraki, for Wike, and now for Atiku. It’s stomach infrastructure,” he said.

Olayinka also took a jab at Momodu’s status within the PDP, questioning his qualifications to speak on internal party matters. “He joined the PDP in 2022 and is being introduced as a PDP chieftain. Chieftain how? He should be deferring to people like us,” he said.

On the zoning debate, Olayinka explained that the PDP only zones positions between the North and the South, and not to specific geopolitical zones like the South-East or South-South.

“The PDP does not micro-zone at the national level. Once it’s zoned to the South, the region decides how to distribute it among South-West, South-South, and South-East,” he said.

He described Momodu as “ignorant” of the party’s workings, saying his recent comments show he lacks depth in PDP affairs.

Momodu is yet to respond to the comments as of the time of filing this report.