Nigeria’s former minister of aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-kayode, has Dumped People Democratic Party, PDP for All Progressives Congress, APC.
Chief Fani-Kayode joined the ruling party on Thursday after President Muhammadu Buhari met him and other leaders of the party in the Presidential Villa.
FFK, who was beaming with joy explained that his decision to move was a direction from God.
He said that he was led by the Spirit of God in his decision and that he joined the APC to help for the unity of the country, adding that he was against anything that would cause the disintegration of Nigeria.
The fiery Politician has been a very strong critic of the Buhari administration. He is known for regularly heaping insults and strong criticism against the party even once swearing that he could never become a member again.
According to Femi Adesina, President Buhari receives New APC Member Femi Fani-Kayode in State House on 16th Sep 2021
Reacting, controversial Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Gumi, while also sharing a throwback statement, slammed Femi Fani-Kayode over his defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Gumi, reacting, shared a throwback statement by Fani-Kayode in 2018 saying he would rather die than join the APC or bow to President Muhammadu Buhari. Gumi said he had long neglected the rantings of Fani-Kayode, knowing fully well that he is a traitor and fake.
He described the former minister as a Yoruba Judas and a traitor.
His post on Facebook read, “I have for long neglected the rantings of the Judas of Oduduwa attacking me knowing fully well that he is fake and a traitor.
“Time has now caught up with him and thanks to Allah, all his vituperations are cast in the dustbin of merciless history.
“It’s him now one wonders which of the seven circles of hell this duper will settle if he doesn’t repent.”
Speaking to State House correspondents after Kayode’s presentation, Mai Mala Buni quoted the President as describing the defection of Kayode to APC as a welcome development, saying that the president was pleased that the former minister had joined the APC.
He said, “We are here to present our newest member of the party, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode to the President and leader of the party.
“He is the newest member of APC and we just received him in appreciation and understanding of the President’s vision and magnanimity.
“The President received him very well. The President is a leader who shares his vision and looks toward greater Nigeria, so he received him very well and commended his courage.”
Fani-Kayode, who also spoke to the correspondents, said he believed that it was time for him to cross over to join hands with the President in moving Nigeria forward.
He said, “The point is that I felt it was time to do the right thing, to put Nigeria first and appreciate the efforts that have been made, particularly in the last couple of years in terms of security; fighting insurgency and terrorism.
“It is not always negative and when the time is right, we change direction to join forces and join hands to move the country forward.
“Doing this doesn’t mean we are enemies to anybody. Even if we are in another party, the PDP or any other party or group, we can still work together across party, regional, ethnic or religious lines,” he said.
How PDP Reacted
Reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West on Friday criticised Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, over his claim that he had wrongly the President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in the past.
The South-West PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said nothing had changed about Buhari as the socio-political and economic situations in the country were getting worse by the day under his watch.
It, therefore, challenged Fani-Kayode to come out clean, describing him as a “political liability” “unstable as wind” and a “political beggar.”
Atofarati, who spoke in a statement titled, ‘‘FFK: South-West PDP hails APC for inheriting liability.’’ in reaction to the defection, said, “This was a man who openly accused President Buhari of corruption allegation as Minister of Petroleum in 1977 and cursed himself to death in 2019 if he ever attempted to join the Buhari-led APC.
“Now, the question for Fani-Kayode is: what has changed? Have the unemployed Nigerians been employed under Buhari? Has Buhari now been able to curb the killing spree of Nigerian soldiers and kidnappings of innocent citizens by bandits and herders across the country?
“For some of us and especially the South-West PDP, we knew the featherweight politician would defect to the APC because we had always been aware of his insincerity and unholy alliance. We in South-West PDP are the most grateful because the snitch within has finally gone home to roast (sic). We predicted earlier that those sabotaging the progress of this country will be exposed; now, Nigerians have seen it and we are vindicated.
“FFK should not be taken seriously. Even when he was acting as a self-acclaimed PDP spokesman, many of us knew he wasn’t sincere. He was then PDP in the day and APC in the night. FFK lacks the integrity required to portray a liberator’s stature. He is a political beggar whose only source of income is in corporate begging.
“Over the years, FFK has remained a worthless entity within the party and especially in South-West. History has it that FFK has never won any election even in his polling unit for PDP other than scavenging for political relevance.”
How PDP Youths Reacted
According to PDP National Youth Movement (NYM-Lagos Chapter), the defection of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode from the party is a great relief.
The group in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Olagunju Ebenezer Mayowa states that;
“There have been mixed reactions trailing the news of the defection of the former minister of Aviation(FFK) from our great party. We the Lagos chapter of the PDP National Youth Movement expresses with joy the news of the defection as we have strongly believed that for us to win in 2023, we need individuals of strong grassroots and good political value.
Individuals who rides on political offices they held while our party was in government to keep pushing for political relevance without electoral value but verbose and unbridled gallivanting in the media are not individuals we need to win this 2023 elections.
An individual who cannot win a ward election let alone a local government election at Ile-Ife, Osun State where he comes from, an individual whose poor leadership qualities has repeatedly frustrated efforts to ensure a united party in the South-West and someone who does not understand the principle of self-censorship.
Gallivanting around South-West and South-East in a show of deceptive support to individuals pursuing self-determination. We do not need such betrayals in our party.
We in the Lagos Chapter of PDP-NYM want to state that this is a big relief and costs for celebration as one of the potential Judas have quickly showed his face before more damage is done.
We are also giving notice to all moles within the party here in Lagos and Nigeria that the game has changed, its better you leave now before you are disgraced out of the party.
Nigerians are looking up to a formidable PDP and earnestly praying to give us power come 2023, we will not allow charlatans and political jobbers who are in the business of selling the party out to remain comfortable.
We also urge our teeming youths in the party to join the movement to rescue Lagos and Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC.”
Also, the Youths national wing describes Fani-Kayode’s defection as “another exit of virus from our fold”. Signed by its President, Engr S A Lukman, the group states that;
“Nigerians will recall that our movement have earlier this year describe current state of PDP as filtration stage preceeded with massive bombardment with heating to dissolve all her content for purification and refining so that the party can come our new with more pro masses ideological drive to rescue Nigeria from the misrule of APC.
It’s no doubt for those with understanding of this political chemistry that only fine entities both in character and content will make it to next phase of this process as those whose bad character such as hypocrisy, sycophancy and inconsistencies can’t make it , they must either be consumed by the heating temperature and melt or excape from the fold of only they allergic to refining.
Today’s news of Mr. Femi Fani Kayode decamping to APC Is never a thing of worry rather a celebration and good development for PDP, it’s our prayer that all other bad eggs under the Umbrella party exit, so the party can be completely free of corrupt unrefined entities, they are the virus in the PDP fold who have all the opportunities in the past courtesy of the party platform to make Nigeria great but failed in all ramifications.
One will imagine the like of Mr Fani Kayode who was one time Minister of Aviation though is a position he got on family pedigree not personal and spokes person of PDP presidential campaign, in as much as nothing tangible was achieved under him, we must understand Mr Femi who heavily criticized APC/ Buhari led Administration with a PUblic Statement “ I rather die than to join APC or Bow to Buhari” this kind of person is undebatable man of zero value, integrity and Zero self respect, it’s sycophantic and hypocritical of an adult, a father figure to speaks with both sides of the mouth.
It look as if Mr FEMI lamentation all this while are base on his non inclusion in the sharing and mismanagement of Nigeria resources and never because of Nigeria masses who are at the receiving end of all bad policies of APC including anti people and anti press ones.
We as youth of the PDP are indeed happy that one of the major virus in our party have exited, this further project our party more healthy, virus free and safe to lead Nigeria to promise land as we have successfully exited all corrupt elements, sycophants and hypocrites in the party.
We hope Mr. FANI will be pronounce saint in coming days while his corruption case in court be drop as usual which has been the ways and negotiation modalities of the ruling party to attract opposition members to her fold.
Nigeria will by now confirm that APC is never a progressive party rather an assembly of past suspected criminals.
Nigerians shouldn’t hesitate to retire this suspects who are camouflaging as progressive from power come 2023 for the refined PDP to take power, unite the nation and set the country back to the path of economic and political stability.”
Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, has said Fani-Kayode, played no role in his defection to the APC in November 2020.
The governor, who made this known on Friday when spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme described as an insult the claim by Fani-Kayode that he was instrumental in his defection last year.
The controversial ex-minister made the statement while speaking to journalists after he was presented to the Buhari.
Fani-Kayode had hinted at the possibility of the governors of Bauchi, Enugu and Oyo states dumping the PDP and joining him in the APC.
But speaking on television on Friday morning, Umahi said Fani-Kayode must withdraw his statement, adding that the ex-minister was “never” part of the discussions that led to his defection.
The governor said, “He (Fani-Kayode) needs to withdraw that statement. He is my good friend but it was an insult to my person and the other governors. The man did not know when I moved but, incidentally, he visited me and we discussed and he said he was coming to join me with other governors to declare.
“How would somebody in PDP be instrumental to my moving, a whole governor of a state, not even a small governor – an experienced governor. So, he has to withdraw the statement; he was never part of any discussion of my movement. I moved the South-East to the centre of administration; I moved to close the gap between the centre and South-East which our forefathers, like Nnamdi Azikiwe, fought for. He remains my friend but he played no role in my movement and I am sure he did not play any role in the movement of others.”
Also reacting, the Enugu State Government described the possibility of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi joining Fani-Kayode in the APC as a distraction.
The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, said, “You should tell Fani-Kayode to explain more about what he said because my governor is the chairman of the PDP zoning committee doing his work in that committee and he is also providing dividends of democracy to the people of Enugu.”
However, opposition to the admittance of Fani-Kayode into the APC has continued to mount.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojodu, wrote “This is the saddest day of my political career,” on his Facebook page to describe his disappointment with the decision to admit the former minister into the party.
Also, a former Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, who before now, was Fani-Kayode’s sparring partner during the 2019 general elections, also expressed his anger in a Facebook post.
He wrote: “Despite all my push for the APC, Abuja has not given me a phone call not to talk of inviting me for a coffee with the C-in-C but here is a political charlatan and prostitute being given a red carpet in the seat of power, Abuja. APC rewards enemies. They pamper enemies. This life has no balance at all.
“Please, I am ok where I am today but I know a countless number of APC diehards who are 100 per cent better than FFK. Nobody has remembered them. Not even a recharge card, not even a bottle of coke, not even thank you.”
No space for Makinde in our party — Oyo APC tells Fani-Kayode
Also reacting to his words, the All Progressives Congress in Oyo state has said that there is no space for the Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to join the party.
Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, the interim Publicity Secretary of the party, stated this while speaking with a correspondent in Ibadan on Sunday.
He said while reacting to the statement made by the Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode after joining the APC, that he is wooing Makinde and some other Governors to the APC.
Azeez noted that the APC has raised the bar of governance in Oyo state adding that the party doesn’t want people who have nothing to offer.
“APC Oyo state is not disposed to having Makinde because he has a very poor performance. APC has raised the bar of governance in Oyo state beyond the ‘mediocre’ performance of Governor Makinde.
“In over two years, Oyo has nothing to show for having a Governor who is even an Engineer, we see this as very poor.
“The first project that he started from scratch is the remodelling of Lekan Salami stadium at a whooping sum of N5.3billion which ordinarily shouldn’t have cost up to that amount.
“And because the people of Oyo state are prayer warriors, God answered their prayer by showing the ineptitude performance of the Governor with very good rain on the day of the commissioning which exposed the inadequacies of the project.
“It’s not even the money he saved. It’s a loan, so Oyo state will pay it back and only God knows for how long.
“It is the achievement of Governor Ajimobi that he is even leveraging upon.
“Its funny to us that in three months he got to the office he said he wanted to distribute books that they have produced and we challenged them that if you claimed to have produced this in three months, then do another one in one year. It’s been two years now, nothing to show forth.
“A lot of serious state during COVID-19 were building makeshift diagnostic centre and treatment centre, our Governor could not build one, rather he decided to use the maternity centre at Olodo which is a legacy of Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
“We don’t want people that have nothing to offer the people of Oyo state in our party. We have scores of better candidates, people that will do Oyo state better than Makinde is doing.
“No space for him in APC.
“Fani-Kayode should face his own life, we don’t want him to assist us in Oyo state”, he said.
‘You have low IQ’, Fani-Kayode attacks critics
In addition, Femi Fani-Kayode have insulted those criticising his defection to the All Progressives Congress.
Fani-Kayode, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television programme, ‘Politics Today’, described his critics as “little monkey”.
The ex-minister felt angered after that the journalist asked if his motive for defecting is finance-related.
Responding, FFK said only people with a “low intelligence quotient” can ask such a question.
Apart from describing the question as “insulting”, FFK also said only people with “small brains” would ask such.
The ‘abusive man’ said, “I don’t expect that kind of ridiculous and absurd question from you. I have fought over the last six years than any of the little monkeys that said what you just said to me now.
“This (the question) is always the absurd narrative that people with a very small brain, with low intelligence quotient, will always put out when they feel threatened and I don’t care. You can insult me from morning till night. It means nothing to me.
“I am surprised you can ask me that kind of question. Why don’t you go and ask a number of others that same question when they defect. It’s a very insulting question and no basis to it whatsoever.”
Recall FFK had abused journalists during a press conference in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
In a viral video that went viral on August 5, 2020, Fani-Kayode attacked a Daily Trust reporter, Eyo Charles, for asking him a “stupid question”.
The journalist had asked Fani-Kayode who “bankrolled” his recent tour of several southern states.
However, the former minister, who was infuriated by the question, said the journalist was “stupid”.
He had said, “I am saying this on live TV. What type of stupid question is that? Bankrolling who? Do you know who you are talking to? I will not take any questions from this man. What type of insulting question is that? Which bankroll? To do what? Who can give me money for anything? Who do you think you are talking to? Go and report yourself to your publisher? Please don’t insult me here. I don’t want to take any questions from this man.
“I could see from your face before you got here, how stupid you are. Don’t ever talk to me like that. Who do you think you’re talking to? Bankroll who? You think I am one of those ones you… from who, when, how? You have a small mind, a very small mind. Don’t judge me by your own standards.”
