Former presidential candidate Dele Momodu on Sunday alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is uncomfortable with opposition politics, claiming the president appears to prefer contesting elections without strong challengers.

Momodu made the remarks while reflecting on the political circumstances that led to Tinubu’s rise to power, noting that the support of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari played a crucial role.

Speaking during an interview on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television, Momodu argued that a healthy democracy requires credible opposition voices.

He suggested that the financial and political influence available to the president—especially resources that could be generated from Lagos State—gives the ruling administration a significant advantage.

Momodu added that his political alignment with Atiku Abubakar reflects what he described as a shared commitment to ensuring the presence of strong opposition in Nigeria’s political system.

According to him, democracy functions best when multiple candidates and viewpoints are allowed to compete freely. He criticized what he described as attempts to weaken opposition voices, arguing that such a situation creates the impression that the president is “contesting against himself.”

Momodu also maintained that Tinubu’s emergence as president was significantly aided by Buhari’s backing, suggesting that without the former leader’s support, the path to the presidency would have been far more difficult.