By Abdulahmeed Abdulrozaq Bilal | Fact Frontier.
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A fresh political storm erupted on Monday as Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria's Ambassador-designate to Germany, launched a scathing verbal attack on veteran journalist Dele Momodu, dismissing claims that the current administration is worse than the military regime of the late General Sani Abacha.
The exchange follows Momodu’s appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program aired on March 15, 2026. During the interview, Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed concerns over the political climate under President Bola Tinubu, alleging that some Nigerians believe the situation has deteriorated significantly.
"Many of our people feel that this government is worse than that of Abacha government," Momodu stated during the live broadcast. He further described the President as a "potential dictator," warning against what he perceives as creeping authoritarianism.
In a swift rebuttal posted on his X handle and Facebook page on Monday, Fani-Kayode tore into Momodu’s credibility, suggesting the veteran publisher had lost his intellectual edge.
"I listened to Dele Momodu on Channels TV yesterday and I must confess that I was shocked," Fani-Kayode wrote. "He sounded drained, tired and broken and spoke little sense. It appears that he has descended into a degenerating and worrisome level of cognitive dissonance."
The former Aviation Minister, known for his fiery rhetoric, defended the Tinubu administration, arguing that Momodu’s comparison was disrespectful to a government filled with highly experienced officials.
Fani-Kayode did not stop at defending the President. He launched a blistering critique of Momodu’s political party, the ADC, dismissing it as politically irrelevant. He described the party members as "vacuous, shallow, intellectual frauds" and "recycled political losers."
Yet, in a surprising twist, Fani-Kayode ended his missive with a personal appeal, urging Momodu to abandon the ADC and join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). In a colorful metaphor, he suggested Momodu was out of place, comparing him to "a gentle, beautiful, well bred, well fed and well manicured flamingo trapped in a sea of ugly, cruel, loud, angry, starving, cackling and relentless crows and vultures."
At the time of filing this report, Dele Momodu had yet to respond to Fani-Kayode’s latest outburst.
