Fani-Kayode: Yahaya Bello lied, I’m still a member of PDP

Fani-Kayode: Yahaya Bello lied, I’m still a member of PDP

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 7:32 pm


Fani Kayode and Gov. Yahaya Bello

Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode on Wednesday evening countered claim by the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello that he has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The former minister spoke after a video by Kogi State Governor that he had accepted to join the ruling party went viral.

Fani -Kayode however said though he has been involved in consultations with members of the opposition party, he is still a member of PDP.

“Though we have had meetings across party lines and we are in a season of political consultation I have not left the PDP,” former minister said in a post of his Facebook page.

In the viral video, the governor of Kogi State had claimed that Fani-Kayode ‘has seen the light and has joined APC’.

“Our brother and friend, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has joined our party in good faith. He is joining our party to come and add his own positive energy and make contribution into ensuring APC is a party to beat,” he said to the delight of his audience in the video.

Bello noted Fani-Kayode was a foundation member of the APC and that he left due to misunderstanding and that he has decided to come back now for the better.

“Now he has decided to join our party, he approached me and by the mandate given to me by the party, I must not segregate, I must not discriminate against any individual, even if he has his different opinion about the party and government before, and he has seen the light, the reality and the need to join the All Progressives Congress.

The speculations that the former minister may be going back to APC followed his meeting with leaders of the party in the past few days.

He had he met with Chairman, Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee Gov. Mai Mala Buni and Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello at a Guest House in Abuja on Sunday.

The closed-door meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was brokered by Bello, who is also chairman of the party’s Mobilisation and Sensitisation Committee for ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise.

Fani-Kayode had a day before met with Bello in his Wuse Zone 6 residence in Abuja.

He had also met with the Senator representing Kogi West in the Senate, Smart Adeyemi, a day before.

He did not deny or confirm speculations that he may be planning to dump PDP until the Kogi governor’s video alleging that he is now a member of APC went viral on Thursday.

Fani-Kayode served former President Obasanjo, Nigeria’s first President after the country return to democracy in 1999 as Special Assistant on Public Affairs.

Also, the PDP government in 2006 appointed him as the Minister of Culture and Tourism and was later redeployed to the Aviation Ministry as the Minister the same year after a minor cabinet reshuffle. But he had dumped PDP to join the yet to be registered APC in 2014.

“I had a meeting with Gov. Kayode Fayemi afterwards and I have just publicly and formally declared for the APC,” the former minister said. “For me this is a great and historic day. Goodbye forever PDP.”

But despite his ‘goodbye forever PDP’ assertion, he returned to PDP just before 2015 general election after he also met with former President Jonathan.

He said his return to PDP following his realization that the former President was a responsible leader.

Nigerians are waiting to see if his consultations with leaders of APC will result in his return to the party.


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