By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
Veteran journalist and Ovation Magazine founder, Dele Momodu, says he is on a mission to rescue Nigeria from one-party dominance.
He stated this on Thursday, January 15, after he officially declared his membership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Benin City, Edo State, months after dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Momodu said, “My mission in politics is to join hands of fellowship with citizens of like minds to rescue, recover, and reset Nigeria. Nigeria must be rescued from a one-party state and one parliament.”
The former presidential aspirant also stated that he doesn’t have an interest in becoming a senator or governor in his hometown, Edo State.
He said, “People have asked me, ‘What do you want? Do you want to be governor or senator?’ No. I just want to promote the best interests of our people.
“It is hard to imagine the pride I feel at this moment as I undertake my self-led event in DC to pick up the membership card of the African Democratic Congress, the new opposition coalition in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. This is only the first and most important leg of this political journey.”
Momodu also revealed his connection to his ancestral roots in Edo State, adding that his move to the ADC was driven by his desire to play a meaningful role in Edo’s political development and to keep the people’s welfare at the heart of government.
“It took me a long time, over 30 years, before I could discover my ancestral home.
“Let me thank one of my fathers who is present here today, Senator Isa Raymond. From the very first day he met me, he adopted me as a child. When I came home for the first time, he coordinated everything.
“It took me over 50 years — you won’t believe it — of excruciating hard work and meticulous planning to plant roots for my modest income in the United States. Today, nobody can say I have no roots in the United States. But today, I am standing before you as I firmly reintegrate myself into the political process of my state,” he said.
Recall that the veteran journalist had announced his resignation from the PDP in July 2025 in a letter addressed to the Chairman of PDP Ward 4 in Ihievbe, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State.
“My reason is simple and straightforward. Our party has been unarguably hijacked by anti-democratic forces, from within and outside, in broad daylight.
“It is, therefore, honourable to abandon the carcass of the party to them while the majority of us earnestly sign up with the new coalition party known as the African Democratic Congress,” the letter read.
