Publisher and politician, Dele Momodu, has criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for zoning its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing the move as a gift to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

In a statement on Tuesday, Momodu said the PDP had “succumbed to cheap and puerile blackmail” orchestrated by individuals he claimed were loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Yesterday, one of Africa’s biggest, but seriously embattled, political parties shot itself in the leg by choosing to hide behind one finger. The PDP finally succumbed to the cheap and puerile blackmail of the black sheep in the opposition party who are openly and daringly working for the ruling party,” Momodu wrote.

He linked the decision to former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, alleging that the zoning arrangement was part of a broader strategy to secure Tinubu’s 2027 re-election. “Who did not know that ultimately the hand was that of Wike while the voice was that of Tinubu. Their gameplan is not hidden. Wike keeps belching orders at helpless governors who are too jittery to stand firm against daredevil dictatorship,” he said.

Momodu accused the PDP of betraying its own members in Rivers State and abandoning Governor Siminalayi Fubara during political crises. He also recalled that Wike had opposed zoning in 2022 and even sought the vice-presidential slot under a northern candidate, only to now insist on power shifting to the South.

“The geniuses should be courageous enough to admit that Tinubu will be the joint candidate of APC and PDP in 2027. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Give it to Wike, love him or loathe him, you will always know where he stands, no matter how preposterous and ludicrous. No Jupiter will stop Wike from using PDP structures for Tinubu. That’s already a done deal,” Momodu declared.

He dismissed speculations about potential southern candidates such as former President Goodluck Jonathan, Peter Obi, or Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, calling them “blatant lies from the pit of hell.”

Momodu further questioned the party’s justification for zoning, citing past political precedents. “Where were these guys when President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died and no one fought for his replacement from the North after Jonathan completed their first term? In fact, Jonathan would have spent nine years as President but for his defeat by Buhari in 2015. Where were they when Tinubu ran on a Muslim/Muslim ticket? The questions can continue ad infinitum,” he stated.

“The truth must not be selective,” Momodu said.