In a blistering Facebook post on Tuesday, media mogul and political commentator Dele Momodu set Nigeria’s political space ablaze, warning that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is entering a phase of brutal internal purging, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu firmly in control of the knife.
Momodu, in his characteristic style, tore into what he described as the “Machiavellian season” within the APC, where loyalty is transactional, and power brooks no competition.
“Vice President Shettima should have seen it coming. So many deputy governors fell in Lagos under Tinubu’s reign. Ambode was the biggest casualty. Sanwo-Olu barely escaped recently,” Momodu wrote.
The firestorm of allegations and insinuations centers on President Tinubu’s long-standing political playbook — reward absolute loyalty, purge potential rivals, and centralize control. For those familiar with his 26-year grip over Lagos politics, this script is all too familiar.
Ganduje: The Loyal Soldier Now Left Behind
One of the most damning parts of Momodu’s write-up is his portrayal of APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, as a “tragic hero.”
“Ganduje took bullets for Tinubu,” Momodu said, alluding to the former Kano Governor’s dogged support during the 2023 election. “But like all lackeys, his usefulness has expired.”
The recent calls within the APC for Ganduje’s resignation amid growing internal dissatisfaction are seen by some as orchestrated — part of a wider cleansing to ensure absolute dominance by the president and his inner circle.
Shettima: A Vice President in the Shadows?
Speculation has intensified around the perceived marginalization of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who has notably been missing from key strategic moves in recent months. While no open rift has been confirmed, political insiders suggest a quiet but deliberate sidelining.
According to Momodu, Shettima’s fate is not unique — it’s systemic.
Wike and the Curious Case of Alliance Politics
Perhaps the most controversial remark was aimed at the increasingly cozy relationship between President Tinubu and Nyesom Wike, the FCT Minister and PDP warhorse.
Quoting a Yoruba adage, Momodu wrote, “IWA JOWA NI NJE ORE JORE — birds of the same feather flock together.”
To critics, the Wike-Tinubu alliance is a dangerous concentration of power by two of the most dominant strongmen in Nigerian politics. To supporters, it is realpolitik — a necessary marriage to secure and maintain control in a volatile federation.
Akpabio: On Thin Ice?
In a direct warning to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Momodu wrote that “no one is indispensable and everyone else is expendable whenever it becomes necessary.”
This cryptic message has fueled anxiety in political circles that the Tinubu machinery may soon turn its gears toward the Senate, especially as the 2027 calculations begin to quietly unfold.
A Party on a Cliff Edge?
While the APC continues to insist that all is well within its ranks, recent power plays, leadership tensions, and mounting discontent suggest otherwise.
With Tinubu seen as the central figure pulling every string, critics argue that the APC is fast becoming a one-man structure. Those who know Lagos politics see an uncanny replication of the template that left a trail of politically fallen men in its wake — from Femi Pedro and Raheem Adejare to the infamous fall of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
In Tinubu’s Nigeria, there is only one centre of gravity — and the closer you get, the greater the risk of being burned.
