Dele Momodu Reveals Bribery During Presidential Primary

Former presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, has revealed the extent of financial inducement during the build-up to Nigeria’s last presidential election, disclosing that a former candidate spent $30,000 on each of the 774 delegates participating in the primaries. The total amount reportedly sums up to $23,220,000.

Speaking on the Key to Keys podcast, Momodu shared insights into his experiences as a 2023 presidential hopeful under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and expressed doubts about running for the presidency again in 2027.

Momodu recounted his personal loss of N50 million spent on acquiring the PDP presidential nomination form, only to receive no votes at the primaries. Reflecting on the monetization of the process, he criticized the financial powerhouses dominating Nigerian politics.

“One of the candidates paid as high as $30,000 per delegate,” Momodu revealed. “With 774 delegates, how do you compete with that? These people have stolen the country blind through deals, especially in oil-rich regions.”

According to Momodu, the political system in Nigeria is heavily influenced by untraceable cash resources, making it nearly impossible for candidates with fewer financial means to compete.

“There is no country in the world where people control raw cash like Nigeria. The bulk of their money isn’t in banks, making it untraceable. Some politicians can raise $500 million in cash to secure power—it’s beyond my reach,” he explained.

When asked if he would consider running for the presidency again, Momodu ruled it out unless adopted through a consensus by a major political party. He emphasized the futility of self-funding another campaign, describing his previous effort as a waste of resources.

“Unless a major party decides that I am best suited to lead Nigeria through consensus, I won’t run. I spent N50 million last time, money that could have been used for a property, and got nothing in return.”