Ben Adaji, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has vowed to mobilize youths across Nigeria to stage a peaceful protest if President Muhammadu Buhari considers the former Minister of Aviation, Femi-Fani Kayode for an appointment.

 

Adaji issued the warning on Saturday during an interactive session with media practitioners in Jalingo, Taraba State.

 

He urged the leadership of the party to be wary of the former minister whom he described as “a serial betrayal.”

 

Adaji questioned the rationale behind Fani-Kayode’s decision to join the APC, a party he left in 2014 for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after claiming it was trying to Islamise Nigeria and had plans to inflict pain on the populace.

 

He also recalled that FFK from 2014 “till today disparaged President Buhari using unfriendly adjectives such as wicked, dead, draconian, dictatorial among others.”

He urged Buhari to consider members who have been consistent in building, growth and success of the party before persons like Fani-Kayode.

 

Rumor have it that, President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is planning to drop the corruption charges against the former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode following his defection to the All Progressives Congress.

 

According to Sahara Reporters, a source disclosed that the ruling party and the president are also planning to make Fani-Kayode a minister.

 

The source, while speaking on the defection of the former minister, said, “They are working on dropping corruption charges against Fani-Kayode and making him a minister.”

 

However, it was not stated the ministry which the Buhari administration is planning to give the former minister.

 

Fani-Kayode while giving the reason for dumping the Peoples Democratic Party said he joined the APC to help unite the country.

 

There are speculations that Fani-Kayode dumped the main opposition party for the ruling party because of his corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

 

Recall that Fani-Kayode was arraigned in 2016 alongside a former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman; Danjuma Yusuf, and a firm, Joint Trust Dimensions Ltd over N4.9bn alleged fraud.

Fani-Kayode who was the spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign organisation for the 2015 election was accused of conspiring with the others to, directly and indirectly, retain various sums which the EFCC claimed they ought to have reasonably known were proceeds of crime.

 

The anti-graft agency had accused them of conspiring among themselves to “indirectly retain the sum of N1,500,000,000.00, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.”

 

According to EFCC, they also retained N300 million, N400 million, and N800 million, all proceeds of corruption.

 

Fani-Kayode was accused of directly using part of the money at various times.

 

For instance, he allegedly spent N250,650,000.00 between March 20 and 25, 2015.

 

He was also accused of making a cash transaction of N24 million to one Olubode Oke, said to still be at large, on February 12, 2015 “to Paste Poster Co of 125, Lewis Street, Lagos Island”.

 

The duo was said to have made the transaction without going through any financial institution, an act the EFCC claimed was contrary to sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

 

The former minister months later was rearrested and arraigned on five counts bordering on money laundering to the tune of N26 million.

 

According to the EFCC, Fani-Kayode allegedly received the sum of N26 million from the office of the former National Security Adviser (ONSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.) in 2014.

 

Another source also have it that prior to the new thinking in respect of national image maker for the ruling party, some close allies of the President had already penciled Fani-Kayode as National Coordinator of a think tank, the National Consensus Project, (NCP).

 

Among others, the NCP, ostensibly bankrolled by close allies of the President from the North, has its focus on five key areas as follows: building national consensus and harmony, deemphasising rotation and zoning in the polity, enlightenment on the possible backlash of laws and policies aimed at shutting out target groups, generational shift in leadership and social and economic rebirth.

The Source said the lot to install Fani-Kayode as party spokesperson is a later thought and it is coming amid reports that, among others that one of the conditions given by the former minister to join the party was that he should be positioned “strategically” to play a crucial role ahead of the 2023 general elections.

 

It was unclear as at press time, where the various positions in the National Working Committee of the APC would be zoned ahead of the national convention.

 

It was, however, gathered that a trusted member of the president’s kitchen cabinet (a serving minister) and three northern governors are behind the plot to impose Fani-Kayode.

 

A source close to one of the governors in the know of the plot confided in this medium that already, the Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has been contacted to clear the way for the emergence of Fani-Kayode as a national delegate in order for him to be eligible to contest the position at the national convention.

 

“From all indications, the real game appears to have commenced with Fani- Kayode on board because it is likely to change a lot of things.

 

Our narrative will change with regards to party image. “We know those are sponsoring all those negative things about the man regarding what happened on Thursday; they never expected it. It came like thunder on them. “Whether we like him or not, there are certain qualities Fani-Kayode possesses that can be positively deployed especially in terms of perception and image building.

 

“One of the areas where our party had faltered before his defection to us was media and public affairs management, which we believe he can best manage as we approach 2023.

“You all know that the opposition PDP is planning to heap a lot of lies on us and we are ready to face them with facts in a more decent and coordinated manner that cannot be relegated to second position. Fani-Kayode is up to the task.

 

“So, there is nothing wrong in bringing him on board to salvage a situation at hand because he fits it honestly.

 

Even though we are aware he is just a new joiner, our NEC decision on waiver for fresh members has automatically cleared Fani-Kayode. “Already, we are working on the governor of his home state to see what could be done to make him a national delegate so that he can be made our national spokesperson at the November convention,” he said