Veteran journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, has formally joined the African Democratic Congress, ADC, months after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party.
Momodu declared his membership of the ADC on Thursday in Benin City, Edo State, where he also made it clear that he has no interest in contesting for either the Senate or the governorship of the state.
Addressing supporters and party members, the former presidential aspirant dismissed speculations about his political ambition.
“People have asked me, ‘What do you want? Do you want to be governor or senator?’ No,” he said. “I just want to promote the best interests of our people.”
Momodu described his decision to join the ADC as a deliberate step aimed at strengthening opposition politics in the country.
“It is hard to imagine the pride I feel at this moment as I undertake my self-led event to pick up the membership card of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, the new opposition coalition in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation,” he stated.
“This is only the first and most important leg of this political journey.”
He added that his major goal in politics is to work with like-minded Nigerians to prevent the country from sliding into a one-party system.
“My mission in politics is to join hands of fellowship with citizens of like minds to rescue, recover, and reset Nigeria,” Momodu said.
“Nigeria must be rescued from a one-party state and one parliament.”
Speaking on his Edo roots, Momodu said it took him decades to fully reconnect with his ancestral home, appreciating those who helped him along the way.
“It took me a long time, over 30 years, before I could discover my ancestral home,” he said.
“Let me thank one of my fathers who is present here today, Senator Isa Raymond. From the very first day he met me, he adopted me as a child. When I came home for the first time, he coordinated everything.”
Momodu also explained that his move to the ADC was driven by his desire to contribute meaningfully to Edo State’s political development while keeping the welfare of the people at the centre of governance.
“It took me over 50 years of excruciating hard work and meticulous planning to plant roots for my modest income in the United States,” he said.
“Today, nobody can say I have no roots in the United States. But today, I am standing before you as I firmly reintegrate myself into the political process of my state.”
It would be recalled that the Ovation magazine founder resigned from the PDP in July 2025.
In his resignation letter addressed to the chairman of PDP Ward 4 in Ihievbe, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, Momodu accused the party of being taken over by undemocratic interests.
“My reason is simple and straightforward. Our party has been unarguably hijacked by antidemocratic forces, from within and outside, in broad daylight,” he wrote.
“It is, therefore, honourable to abandon the carcass of the party to them while the majority of us earnestly sign up with the new coalition party known as the African Democratic Congress.”
