Oyo, Bauchi, Enugu govs’ defection underway, says Fani-Kayode on joining APC

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Thursday, hinted at the possibility of the governors of Bauchi, Enugu and Oyo States dumping the Peoples Democratic Party and joining him in the All Progressives Congress.

Fani-Kayode gave the hint while speaking to newsmen after he was presented to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), by the Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni, at the Presidential Villa.

In response to another question as to whether he had friends from the PDP following him into the APC, he said, “There are many people. If you ask my friend and brother, Governor Matawalle here, there are many people within the PDP, who do want to come over to the APC. I can tell you that. I was there and very instrumental when Governor Umahi joined the APC.

“I was there and very instrumental when Governor Ayade did the same thing. I was there and very instrumental when my friend and brother governor of Zamfara, Governor Matawale did the same thing.

“Now, if you don’t mind me mentioning names, somebody like the governor of Enugu State, the governor of Oyo State, and of course, my good friend, the governor of Bauchi State, great friends of mine, and I sincerely hope that they too may end up coming in this direction.

“But whether they do or not, the most important thing is that we work together as a people, as a country, and move our country together and fight and kill the terrorists and put to shame the foreign elements and I emphasize that word, foreign elements, that want us to end up fighting one another in this country and turning our country into a massive refugee camp.

“I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but I’ve made a choice, I believe I’ve been led by the Spirit of God and I will fight for what I believe is right within this party as I would anyway. I will never give up on my core values and principles.”

Fani-Kayode also claimed that his decision was inspired by God and the positive changes he has noticed in the ruling party.

Asked why he chose the APC, he said, “Why not? The point is that I felt that this was the appropriate time to do the right thing, to put Nigeria first, and to appreciate the efforts that have been made. Particularly in the last couple of years in terms of security, fighting insurgency, fighting terrorism, and most importantly, is the appreciation of the fact that we must remain one as a nation, build bridges, work together to move the country forward.

“The efforts of the governor of Yobe State, the governor of Zamfara State, and several others, including the governor of Kogi and several others in their respective states and in moving this country forward and helping Mr. President move this country forward, cannot be ignored.

“We need to appreciate the fact that when we see that there are good things that are happening, we appreciate those good things. It’s not always negative and when the time is right, we change direction to join forces and join hands to move the country forward.

In his remarks, the Caretaker Committee, Chairman of the APC, Mai Mala Buni said, “We just received him and in appreciation and understanding of Mr. President’s vision, and magnanimity.”

Asked how the President received the new party member, he said, “He received him very well and, you know, Mr. President is a magnanimous leader, who shares his vision with anybody who is looking towards greater Nigeria. So, he’s happy and he received him very well, he commended his courage.”

When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said, “We wish Chief Fani-Kayode luck in his new political adventure.”

Punch.