Femi Fani-Kayode and Dele Momodu are locked in a bitter war of words over their opposing positions on President Bola Tinubu and the build‑up to Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, turning X (Twitter) into a key battleground for their clash.
Background to the feud
- The conflict flared after Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation Magazine and a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), granted a TV interview where he likened Tinubu’s style of governance to the late military ruler Sani Abacha, warning of “dictatorial” tendencies in the current administration.
- Fani‑Kayode, a former aviation minister and now a pro‑Tinubu ambassador, took strong exception to the comparison, casting Momodu as part of a weak opposition ahead of the 2027 polls and accusing him of disrespecting the president and top government officials.
Fani‑Kayode’s attacks on X
- In a long post on X, Fani‑Kayode 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…” (full thread carried by The Nation).
- He further blasted Momodu and the ADC, saying they should build a credible opposition instead of “obsessing” over Tinubu: “He and his associates in the ADC should focus more on trying to build up their depleted ranks and form a strong opposition that we can look forward to engaging in the field of battle for the 2027 election rather than continuously obsess and talk about what our President and our party is doing.”
More Fani‑Kayode quotes and links
- Fani‑Kayode accused Momodu of lacking clarity and succumbing to “forces of darkness”, saying Tinubu would finish strongly in office: “Tinubu started well. He is doing well and he will, by the grace of God, end well with no regrets in 2031.”
- On the 2027 race, he reportedly warned that Momodu’s era was over if Tinubu wins: according to a Daily Post/DailyPost‑syndicated summary, he said Momodu’s “glory days” would be over and that he would “crawl back into the hole he came from” when Tinubu is re‑elected.
- One viral clip of his remarks has been shared via X by outlets such as The Sun Nigeria: see this post summarising his prediction about Tinubu’s victory and Momodu’s political future – .
Dele Momodu’s response
- Dele Momodu fired back in a statement and on X, labelling Fani‑Kayode and fellow Tinubu defender Reno Omokri as “perpetual agents of perfidy” with no credibility, insisting he would not be bullied into silence over his criticisms of Tinubu’s government.
- In his widely circulated X post titled “RENO OMOKRI & FEMI FANI‑KAYODE”, Momodu wrote:
- “How Femi and Reno can continue to harass people on behalf of a TINUBU they’ve permanently damaged and sent to the cleaners really baffles me.”
- Full thread on X: .
Tinubu at the centre of the clash
- The dispute is less about personal history and more about divergent narratives around Tinubu’s presidency and the direction of Nigeria before 2027: Momodu frames Tinubu’s rule as drifting toward authoritarianism and worsening hardship, while Fani‑Kayode paints Tinubu as a performing democrat under siege from a disorganised opposition.
- By repeatedly tying the argument to 2027 and declaring that Tinubu will “end well in 2031”, Fani‑Kayode is signalling confidence that the president will not only seek, but secure, a second term, turning Momodu into a symbolic foil for the broader anti‑Tinubu camp.
Implications for the 2027 election
- The Fani‑Kayode v. Momodu exchanges highlight how the 2027 campaign is already unfolding online, with surrogates testing narratives about dictatorship, opposition weakness, and Tinubu’s inevitability long before official campaign season.
- For Tinubu, the feud is a double‑edged sword: loyalists like Fani‑Kayode amplify the image of a strong, embattled leader heading toward re‑election, while critics like Momodu try to frame his government as a continuation of Nigeria’s dark authoritarian past, a narrative that may resonate with undecided voters suffering economic pain.