Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has exposed the level of monetization during the party’s 2022 presidential primaries. Speaking on the Key to Keys podcast, Momodu disclosed that one aspirant distributed $30,000 (approximately ₦13.4 million at the time) to each of the 774 delegates in a bid to secure the party’s ticket.

 

The 2022 PDP presidential primary, widely regarded as the most expensive in Nigeria’s history, reportedly saw delegates receiving bribes from multiple candidates. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the winner after Aminu Tambuwal and Bala Mohammed stepped down to support his candidacy, defeating opponents such as Nyesom Wike.

 

Some delegates were said to have returned to their constituencies to share over ₦10 million with party members in their wards.

 

Momodu, who also contested in the primaries, expressed regret about spending ₦50 million to purchase the nomination form, revealing he did not receive a single vote.

 

“There was one of the candidates who paid as high as $30,000 per delegate. How do you compete with that?” Momodu lamented. He criticized the unchecked flow of cash in Nigerian politics, particularly among those with access to oil wealth, stating, “There is no country in the world where people control raw cash like Nigeria.”

 

The publisher of Ovation Magazine vowed never to contest for a party ticket again unless chosen as a consensus candidate, describing his past experience as a waste of resources.