By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE heat generated by Dele Momodu is yet to cool down as Festus Keyamo, on Wednesday, described the ace journalist as nothing but a “hopeless Owambe clown.”
Stonix News reports that Owambe is a Yoruba word which translates to “it is there” to generally mean lavish parties thrown in Nigeria, especially in Yoruba land.
Recall that Momodu drew the anger of Keyamo when he described the 80-page manifesto of Tinubu as “copy and paste” from the manifesto of late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the undeclared winner of 1993 presidential election.
Thereafter, Momodu, while on a national television, washed down Keyamo, describing him as a lapdog of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a political neophyte.
Momodu is a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council while Keyamo is the Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and current Minister of State, Labour and Employment, responded to Momodu in a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists on Wednesday.
He said: “After reading through Mr. Dele Momodu’s rather emotional outburst in response to otherwise salient points raised in the statement we issued asking him to point out SPECIFIC AREAS of plagiarism in Asiwaju’s ACTION PLAN, my feeling oscillated between delirious laughter and outright pity for the pathetic wreck his life has actually become.
“Here is a miserable fellow who, having previously overrated himself, crashed down like a wingless bird from a futile presidential ambition (for which he got zero votes in the PDP Presidential primaries), and ended up as an hyperactive hireling and attack-dog of, perhaps, the worst serial loser in Nigeria’s electoral history.
“Funnily enough, the only curriculum vitae he truly possesses to even make an attempt at the Presidency is no more than mere photo ops with celebrities and the high-and-mighty in society.
‘This is the sad story of a HOPELESS CLOWN in his sixties who is desperately looking to pick whatever pieces is left of his life by shamelessly worming his way into the pockets of Atiku Abubabar and making himself available to execute dirty jobs against his long-standing benefactor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Mr. Momodu’s epistle of lamentations is again a re-affirmation of his manifest lack of rigour. In his latest rambling piece, he failed again to redeem himself on the gross theoretical deficiency identified in his earlier writing.
“One would have thought he would seize this “second chance” to copiously point out portions or areas plagiarized by the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council from MKO’s 1993 campaign manifesto named “Hope 1993”.
“But instead, Mr. Momodu embarked on a “pity party” by whipping up sentiments like a frustrated man to cover up for his obvious inadequacies.
“Typically, what the readers were then subjected to was another orgy of almost interminable name-dropping of socialites and the likes in Nigeria.
“But he seems oblivious of the fact that not many serious-minded Nigerians are easily swayed by such tabloid show-boating.
“For instance, this time around, Mr. Momodu was quick to don the toga of “freedom fighter” on behalf of Akinwunmi Ambode for not getting second term ticket in APC in 2018 ahead of the Lagos governorship polls in March 2019.
“Well, let us pretend that we do not know the open secret that he was a well-serviced “PR consultant” to the same Ambode. That being the case, how come the same Momodu came out to praise-sing Asiwaju Tinubu on October 26, 2019 in his column entitled “Bola Tinubu and his Date with Destiny in 2023”?
“Was that not a betrayal of Ambode who, by then, had vacated office and left in limbo?
“To me, even more amusing was Momodu’s recourse to divulging what he himself termed “secrets”. Such tomfoolery!
“What he actually tried to do in that column was to again worm his way back to Asiwaju after “cleaning out” Ambode. Such is the character of Mr. Momodu that he actually operates from the lowest rung of moral debauchery; a man who follows who provides his next meal ticket.
“Atiku is the latest victim of this conman. Mark my words: IF, BY GOD’S GRACE, ASIWAJU WINS THE PRESIDENCY NEXT YEAR, EXPECT MR. MOMODU TO DO ANOTHER SOMERSAULT BY SHAMELESSLY COMPOSING ANOTHER “ORIKI” (YORUBA FOR PRAISE SONG) FOR ASIWAJU, CRAWLING HIS WAY BACK ON HIS WHOLE BODY FRAME LIKE AN ORANGUTAN.
“Well, as a mark of personal honour, I will never succumb to the temptation to divulge what Mr. Momodu himself had told me in confidence in the past as to why he fell out with some key figures in the Buhari administration.
“Contrary to his usual public posturing, it was never a matter of principle. As Mitchelle Obama once put it: “When they go low, we go high.”
“As a very busy man with various portfolios and an eye on my huge private practice still going strong and to which I will return anytime, let me end my response here.
“There are far more important things to do than be distracted by the tantrums of someone who seems to be getting increasingly frustrated that those who hired him to salvage the publicity aspect of PDP’s presidential campaign are so far unimpressed with his mediocre performance.
“My last comment on this chapter, please.”
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