Publisher of the globally-read Ovation Magazine and politician Aare Dele Momodu has cut the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to sizes describing him as a man consumed by the “demonic spirit of power” and accusing him of being a brazen turncoat having betrayed his former allies in pursuit of personal ambition.
Momodu while speaking on Politics Today on Channels TV, on Monday gave a tell-it-all account of his once-close relationship with the former Rivers State governor and how their alliance got severed under the weight of ego, political ambition, and what he termed “reckless abuse of power and influence.”
Momodu recalled that their friendship began in 2022 when he served as a media consultant for Wike. He recounted how Wike welcomed his Ovation team to Port Harcourt and lavished praise and hospitality on him.
“He gave me a car, he took me around, introduced me like a king. When Wike needs you, he worships you. When he doesn’t, he tramples on you,” Momodu said.
He portrayed Wike as a textbook example of a man who rose from obscurity and became intoxicated by the allure of political power and wealth.
“It is the classic story of the oppressed becoming the oppressor,” Momodu said, referencing Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. “Wike is a man who worships those who dominate him, and once he rises, he becomes worse than those he feared,” he said.
The fiery interview comes days after Wike’s own appearance on the same programme, where he made disparaging remarks against political opponents and former associates. Momodu said the public display was evidence that the minister had “lost control.”
“What we saw last Friday was a man no longer on this planet,” he said. “Wike is consumed by the power he holds. The spirit of power and money is demonic when not managed properly. He drinks early in the morning. He introduced me to Akeshi, a strong alcohol, saying it helps him function. This is someone in public office.”
Momodu also accused Wike of hypocrisy and betrayal. “He used to respect Rotimi Amaechi. In fact, they dined in my home in Accra. Today, he calls the same Amaechi all sorts of names. That’s who Wike is,” he said.
Their falling out, according to Momodu, stemmed from their mutual ambition to run for Nigeria’s presidency under the PDP. He said he had formally written to Wike about his intention to run, but was warned by a former president that he stood no chance due to the high cost of PDP primaries. “Wike had raised the stakes to $30,000 per delegate. That’s over N17 billion. Even if I sold my entire family, I couldn’t raise that kind of money,” he said.
Wike’s reaction to his candidacy, Momodu said, was dismissive and derisive. “He went on air and mocked me, asking what someone like me who lives on Twitter was doing in the race. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just about politics. It was personal,” Momodu said.
Despite acknowledging that he benefitted professionally from his relationship with Wike, Momodu was emphatic that his media firm delivered real value. “He gained massively from our expertise — our work helped polish his image. We trained him in public speaking and helped him clean up his act. But you can take a man out of the bush; you can’t take the bush out of the man,” he said.
Momodu’s tirade signals a worsening rift within Nigeria’s opposition elite, particularly among former PDP heavyweights. It exposes the fault lines as the political class begins early positioning ahead of the 2027 elections.
When asked whether he still holds any grudge, Momodu said he has moved on but feels the need to set the record straight. “I won’t wrestle with a pig, as someone advised me. But I must say the truth. What Wike represents today is not the future Nigerians are looking for,” he said.
