Dele Momodu criticised for asking Atiku to congratulate Buhari

Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation magazine and a supporter of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has been rebuked for advising Mr Abubakar to concede defeat and congratulate his opponent, President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is leading in the polls so far, as results from the different states in the country stream in.

“My dear WAZIRIN, as a believer, you are aware that only God can give or take power. You’ve written your name in gold. Do not wait a minute longer. Please, pick that phone and call President Muhammadu Buhari. You have much more to gain Sir… Pass on the burden!” Mr Momodu tweeted on Tuesday, using his Twitter handle @DeleMomodu.

Angry aide

Reno Omokri, a renowned author and a supporter of Mr Abubakar, felt Mr Momodu should have spoken privately with Mr Abubakar, instead of going public with his advice.

“I know, for a fact, you have @Atiku’s phone number, email address and WhatsApp details. Why do you choose to do this publicly? Why add to the already heavy burden the man is carrying? He is carrying an elephant. Why add a snake to his load?” Mr Omokri (@renoomokri) said on Twitter, Tuesday.

Mr Momodu told Mr Omokri that his tweet was meant for Mr Abubakar’s supporters, and not for the candidate’s private consumption.

He said there was more to gain in embracing peace when people expect you to fight.

Mr Omokri responded by saying the advice was not necessary since the supporters were not in control of Mr Abubakar’s phone.

“Why tweet a message urging @Atiku to call @MBuhari to Atiku’s supporters? Do they control Atiku’s phone? I spoke with Atiku today. He confirmed he‘s NEVER refused to take your call or respond to your email. Dele, put yourself in his shoes,” Mr Omokri said.

“If you felt tension brewing up, wouldn’t it make sense for you to first reach @Atiku privately to offer your advise (advice). Perhaps there might be a justification if you tried using private means and were rebuffed. Going public is MORE LIKELY to increase tension.

“When you disagreed with @Abati1990 and later @iam_Davido, I and others did not rush to the public to tweet at you. I went to Abati privately (ask him). Others went to you and Davido privately. The least you could have done is to reach @Atiku privately,” Mr Omokri added.