Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation magazine and a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has launched a fresh verbal offensive against Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party. The dispute arose after Baba-Ahmed publicly criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s continued interest in contesting the presidency in 2027. Baba-Ahmed had argued that Nigeria requires a “whole new generation” of leaders, mocking Atiku’s decades-long pursuit of the office by noting that the former Customs officer was already an aspirant when he (Baba-Ahmed) was a youth corps member.
In a scathing response posted on his verified X account on Friday, January 9, 2026, Momodu questioned whether age should be a disqualifying factor for personal aspirations or visionary leadership. He challenged Baba-Ahmed to explain what makes him superior to Atiku, highlighting that both men are owners of private universities—Atiku’s American University of Nigeria and Baba-Ahmed’s Baze University. Momodu argued that Atiku’s political experience and vast nationwide structure in regions with high voting populations should be respected rather than dismissed as “serial contesting.”
Momodu further dismissed the idea that younger politicians are automatically entitled to the support of their elders. “Can a man donate his personal dreams to you just because you’re younger?” he asked, suggesting that the Labour Party leader was acting like a “jilted lover” who felt entitled to a political inheritance. This exchange marks an escalation in the rivalry between the two opposition figures, as Momodu had previously criticized Baba-Ahmed for labeling members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as “disgruntled politicians.”
