By Adesina Soyooye
Was it a set-up? Or, why would the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, drag former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, FFK, in the mud the way it did? Why would they put him in a ship, and abandon him mid-sea? Was it planned to totally disgrace him, shame him, and finally shut him up?
It seems all of the above are correct.
Here is the story of how FFK dropped from the Olympian height, into the abyss.
His journey started with the publication of photographs which, at once, shocked and took most people unawares a couple of days ago. Many were dazed. Fani-Kayode’s party, the People’s Democratic Party, was dumbfounded.
The splashed photographs were those of the National Chairman of the APC Transitional Committee/ Governor of Yobe State, Mal Mai Buni, the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and FFK.
The shock that accompanied the photographs forced FFK to explain what he was doing with both men. They are of the APC, a party FFK had maligned in every way possible. He had called the the President, Muhammdu Buhari and the leaders of the party, every choice negative names he could remember. And had dubbed the party, among other names, “Almajiri People Congress.”
So, Fani-Kayode needed to explain. He owed that to many people.Among other things, he said he went to discuss the state of the nation with them. He said he also went to discuss party affairs with them. And that he was discussing across political party lines. The explanation was weak. Nobody believed him.
In the PDP, mum was the word. In the APC, red flags were hoisted. The first to react was the President’s Special Assistant on New Media, Ahmad Bashir. He said the plan by FFK to join the party will not work; that party leaders will not welcome him; that President Buhari will not accept him either.
Then came the most devastating reaction. It came from the Director General of the Progressive Governor’s Forum, PGF, Salihu Lukman. He said FFK would lower the standards of the party, and make it a laughing stock. He said FFK is like dirt. He would stain the party. He reminded the party leadership of some of the degrading things FFK had said about the Party, Mr President, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. And many more.
But the next day, Governor Bello threw two bombs. He revealed that FFK came to BEG him to be admitted into the APC. Note the word beg. The clincher, he told the crowd that FFK has indeed dumped the PDP, and defected to the APC.
Again, FFK offered a weak response. He said even though he was in discussions, he had not dumped the PDP. Many people responded: “story-story. It is his stock in trade.” If not true, they asked, why would Bello publicly announce it?
Bashir, a guy with a satirical sense of humour welcomed FFK with a one-liner: “Welcome to the Party of Almajiri People Congress.” The joke was not lost on anybody.
For two days, nothing was heard about, and from Bello, FFK and the APC. Well, until Friday, when Lukeman, in a rather celebratory tone, issued a statement that FFK has been rejected by the Leadership of the APC. That the Party has refused to admit him. That the party was not moved by his “beg-beg”, and that his entrance has been stalled.
Lukeman: “Again, that we are, as a party, debating the issue of who should join our party or not represent the qualitative difference between the APC and PDP.
“If it were PDP, once the National Chairman of the party act on a matter and backed by a serving governor, members can only grumble.
“I am proud to have my voice guaranteed and affirmed by my leaders in APC. As an employee of Governors, it has been a privileged opportunity to speak out openly on matters within the purview of leadership initiative.
“Rather than my leaders, including our Governors, relating to me as a subordinate who should only take instructions, they recognise, and respect my views as a loyal member of the party.
“The issue of Mr Fani-Kayode’s drifted attempt to join the APC is a clear instance of attempts to manipulate some of our leaders into accepting membership of someone who ought not to have been considered a member of our party.
“If that was the case in the past, it is better late than never to correct such a mistake.
“As party members, we were able to rise up to the challenge of engaging our leaders. Fortunately, we are able to gain the respect of our leaders and surely, moving forward, issues of who qualifies to be a member of our party will be clarified unambiguously.
“Maybe this could challenge the PDP and other parties in Nigeria to begin to address issues related to their failings.”
It is surprising that the deal was not sealed before FFK took those photographs. Many hold the opinion that he fell cheaply into the trap of the APC. It is even more surprising, they say, that Bello announced, publicly, FFK’s membership of the APC, without clearing with the leadership of the party, especially, Mr President.
Or, was it a well- planned set-up? If it is, political watchers say it is good for the system. It will instill discipline, they say. They argue that one cannot call a party a congregation of fools today, and tomorrow, call it a congregation of wise people, all because one has suddenly seen a brighter political future.
What the APC has done is to, for now, shut FFK up. If he calls the party and its members names now, they will say it is because they rejected him when he came cap in hand to beg them to allow him become one of them.
Many say nobody will believe what he says again. They also say even his party, the PDP, will now look at him with suspicion. For the first time, FFK’s political migration has failed him.
A devastated admirer of his told this magazine: “It is such a shame. He should quit politics. This ill-advised and ill thought-out movement has finished him.”
