A war of words has broken out between Femi Fani-Kayode, ambassador-designate to Germany; Reno Omokri, ambassador-designate to Mexico; and Dele Momodu, publisher of Ovation magazine, with the trio exchanging sharp accusations over loyalty to President Bola Tinubu.
Fani-Kayode and Omokri criticised Momodu after he described Tinubu as a “dictator” during a Channels Television interview and aligned himself with the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a series of statements posted on social media, Fani-Kayode accused Momodu of having an “inferiority complex” and questioned his political relevance.
“Dele Momodu, you are too immature for politics. Please focus on hyping fading #BBNaija contestants!” he wrote, adding that the Ovation magazine publisher should “stay in your lane and leave politics to those with thicker skin”.
Fani-Kayode defended his support for Tinubu, noting that he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2021 after previously serving in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign.
He dismissed Momodu’s criticism by recalling the publisher’s past association with the late MKO Abiola, winner of the 1993 presidential election.
“All I know about you is that you were once a journalist, you followed Chief MKO Abiola around like a court jester… and that you ran for President… and got only one vote which came from your wife,” Fani-Kayode said.
He further boasted that Tinubu would be re-elected in 2027, adding that Momodu’s actions would not affect the president’s ambition.
“President Tinubu WILL return to office… Nothing you say or do about me or him can change that and this is the source of your pain,” he wrote.
Omokri joined the fray, responding to Momodu’s suggestion of a possible Atiku Abubakar–Peter Obi ticket in 2027.
The former presidential spokesperson warned that such a pairing would fail in the north due to religious sensitivities.
“To think that a joint ticket with a man like Peter Obi, who was caught on a leaked audio vowing to unleash religious war on the Muslim Ummah, is going to unseat a strong incumbent just confirms that Dele Momodu should have stuck to glamour journalism rather than make a pivot to politics,” Omokri wrote.
“If Waziri Atiku Abubakar listens to Dele Momodu and runs with Obi, he may lose even in Adamawa!”
However, Momodu hit back in two detailed responses, accusing both men of “hypocrisy and perfidy”.
The publisher rejected claims that he had begged Fani-Kayode for reconciliation.
Momodu added that Fani-Kayode had recently sought his help to publish family achievements as recently as February 11, 2026, and had used Ovation to celebrate his son’s birthday without charge.
“He still begged me to help him publish… And I gladly obliged him, after which he sent ‘Thanks brother. Very kind of you.’ Is he already suffering from dementia?” Momodu asked.
He described Fani-Kayode as “a bully” and “a classic case of a wasted investment”.
On the political front, Momodu maintained that he had never called Tinubu a murderer or drug baron but stood by his “dictatorship” label.
“I have never disparaged TINUBU in my life… My only grouse against TINUBU [is] DICTATORSHIP and I stand by it with my full chest,” he wrote.
He accused Fani-Kayode and Omokri of previously attacking Tinubu before switching sides for appointments.
“Because of our past association, I have been partial and generous to him by not being as critical of him as I did to his predecessors,” Momodu said of his relationship with Tinubu.
Meanwhile, a barrage of reactions has trailed the exchange between the three political figures.
Tolu Ogunlesi, former presidential spokesperson, weighed in on the escalating online altercation.
In a post on X, Ogunlesi shared a tongue-in-cheek remark about the trio.
“What we’re monitoring today: Two Nigerian diplomats have formed a rather formidable non-diplomatic coalition against a veteran journalist, in an escalating battle that threatens to overshadow a historic state visit. No ceasefire in sight, for now,” he wrote.
Below are other reactions to the feud.
FEMI FANI-KAYODE: AN AMBASSADOR WITHOUT DECORUM
By DELE MOMODU
To those begging me to ignore FEMI FANI-KAYODE, my apologies, I can’t. I know Femi well. He is a bully. But I have plenty time for him. He calls a global brand, Ovation Media Group, defunct. Yet, as recently as… pic.twitter.com/wdU7R9yAkA
— Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) March 19, 2026
https://twitter.com/DeleMomodu/status/2034646177539314108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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