By Cosmas Omegoh
A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the South West, Hon Ajala Somide has described as a fairy tale, the alleged defection of former Minister of Aviation, Chief Olufemi Fani-Kayode to the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Somide noted that Fani-Kayode remains a loyal party leader and a strong pillar of the PDP who has been tormenting the ruling APC.
Recall that recent media reports suggested that the former aviation minister had defected to the APC after photos of him and the chairman of the APC reconciliatory committee, Governor Mai Buni and Governor Yahaya Bello surfaced on social media.
But reacting to the media reports, Chief Ajala Somide said that they were mere speculation being peddled by detractors who were scared of the formidable force of the PDP already firmly in place to wrestle power from the APC come 2023.
He said: “I can confidently tell you that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is still in the PDP. He remains a loyal member and has not defected to the ruling party.
“Why would he defect to the APC? What has APC got to offer him? He will not defect to the ruling party. He remains committed to the values of the PDP,” he stated.
Somide noted that Fani-Kayode hadn’t even said anything about his political future and wondered why people were speculating on his next moves.
“Has he spoken to anyone that he has defected? Of course no. As a leader and statesman, he is free to associate himself with other leaders in the country across religion and party lines to build and move the country forward. Politics should not make one an enemy of another simply because they don’t belong to the same party.”
Earlier, Fani-Kayode said he was meeting the APC leaders to save Nigeria.
In a series of tweets, he noted “I would “never compromise the core values which I have held on to or betray the trust of the Nigerian people whom I have long fought for.”
But while reacting to the media reports making rounds on his purported defection, an APC youth group described Fani-Kayode’s move as a welcome development, describing him as “an asset to Nigeria.”
Reacting to the planned defection on social media, a social commentator Ogochukwu Amobi, said “the warrior of the masses has gone; we won’t give up.” Another wrote: “you can’t trust Nigerian politicians; its possible the Buhari government is squeezing his balls.”
Meanwhile, the former minister has left political watchers guessing whether what is being rumoured about him is true or false about his political future. Perhaps the coast would be clearer in the days ahead.