Ovation publisher, Chief Dele Momodu, has encouraged the vast youthful populace in the country to be more involved in the electoral processes in the next general elections.

Beyond discussing theories, Momodu urged them to get very practical, saying politics, especially the presidential poll, will be warlike and lead to serious fights among different contending forces.

Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, disclosed this on the campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Wednesday, while speaking on the sidelines of a ‘Reading Time’, an event organised by the OAU Library as part of activities marking this year’s Library Week.

Advising Nigerian youths on the right approach to the forthcoming general elections, Momodu said, “We should theorise but know that there is a limit to theory. Rather, we should get very practical.

“When I contested in 2011, that was when I realised that the Elephant head is not for child’s play. Politics, especially the presidential election, is going to be a war. People are going to fight because it’s about winner-takes-all. And the president of Nigeria is probably the most powerful president on earth because nobody can question him. He controls the judiciary, the legislature, the Gen Zs, the city boys and the village boys.”

Commenting on Nigeria’s political situation, he said contentment made him not want to work with President Bola Tinubu, despite their past strong working relationship.

The media expert, who was a guest reader at the event, recalled his days as a student on the OAU campus, noting that if money had been his motivation, he would have joined the ruling All Progressives Congress.

He said OAU imbued in him the virtue of contentment, noting that despite his humble background, his parents did their best to give him a university education.

He added, “My story is that of a man who lived on a modest income yet refuses to lobby anyone for free money. Because if it is about money, I would be in APC today. I lived and worked actively with the current president in exile and people ask me every day, are you foolish?"

“Buhari, you won’t do. Obasanjo, you did not do. Now, Tinubu, again, what is wrong with you? But you see contentment, I learnt it from here. My parents had no money but they managed to send me to school.”

Earlier in her opening remarks, the OAU Librarian, Dr. Adebimpe Fadehan, explained that the special Reading Time event has become one of the hallmark events in the institution’s Library Week celebration.

Providing more insight about the event, Dr Fadehan said, “OAU Library Week “Is not merely a ceremonial observance; it is a reaffirmation of our collective commitment to knowledge, scholarship, and the enduring power of books.”

She added, “This Reading Time event is designed not only to encourage the habit of reading but also to provide a serene and reflective space where we can reconnect with the written word, whether for academic enrichment, personal growth, or sheer enjoyment.

“To us as a University Library, organising a Reading Time is both strategic and essential to the core mission of higher education.”

It was reported that there has been uncertainty around the participation of some leading political parties in the 2027 general elections, due to the leadership crisis ravaging them, which may eventually affect their chances to field candidates.

The two leading opposition parties -the African Democratic Congress and the People’s Democratic Party, still have their chances of fielding candidates in the poll hanging in the balance, as they await the decision of the Supreme Court on cases filed by different parties struggling to take control of the parties. (The PUNCH)