Following the heavy public backslash of Femi-Fani Kayode’s defection from PDP to APC.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has highlighted a number of conditions Femi Fani-Kayode should meet before he is fully recognized in the party.
Dr. Salihu Moh Lukman who happens to be the Director-General of the APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) stated that the former Minister of Aviation should be ready to respect and tolerate the views of leaders and members of the party and most especially check with the party chieftains in his state if he is to be fully accepted in the party.
On September 19, in a statement issued in Abuja, the PGF DG disclosed that the members are furious with the red-carpet reception Buhari gave FFK when he defected from the PDP to APC.
The statement titled: ‘APC’s high-profile membership recruitment and issues for 2023’, read: “A major challenge of high-profile political party membership recruitment, like that of Fani-Kayode, is the issue of getting those recruited to be accountable. How can the party ensure that newly recruited high-profile members moderate themselves such that it is the party that control them and not the other way round?
“While it is simple to control those who are already bound by legal rules due to statutory obligations, such as governors and lawmakers, controlling individuals like Fani-Kayode, who are solely accountable to themselves, would be tough. As a result, APC members must ready to engage Fani-Kayode in order for him to be accountable to our leaders, party organs, and, by extension, Nigerians.
“A reformed Fani-Kayode should be a somebody who is answerable to both the party and Nigerians. Fani-Kayode should never believe that he has come to APC to act out in an out-of-control manner. He must answer to our party’s leadership and the whole party structure.
“He must treat himself with dignity and adhere to the party’s constitution and manifesto. Copies of the APC constitution and manifesto must be made accessible to him right away if he is to be supported as well as accepted.
“There are also problems with getting him to collaborate with other members of his party, particularly when it comes to tackling national challenges.
For example, handling Nigeria’s diversity necessitates respect and tolerance.
The fact that Fani-Kayode has joined the APC and stated his commitment to an unified Nigeria must be proven by respect for all Nigerians, regardless of differences.
“Fani-ability Kayode’s to exhibit tolerance and respect for the viewpoints of party leaders and members will be put to the test.
This isn’t to say he can’t disagree, however, he must communicate his dissatisfaction with the utmost deference. He must not, under any circumstances, support divisive campaigns in any shape or way. This will give the impression that he is still the poisonous Fani-Kayode.
“If that happens, party members must be prepared to engage him, including campaigns to discipline him, as stipulated in the APC constitution.
As a result, his party membership must take root in his Ward in Osun State, and he must submit himself to the Ward leadership,” he said
Giving other conditions, he wrote: “For Fani-Kayode to talk of the unity of Nigeria at this time, shortly after he supported and promoted secessionist campaigns of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho is a remarkable departure. However, recognising such a departure shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that we should blindly trust Fani-Kayode.
“What is required in the circumstance is that our leaders must test the commitment of Fani-Kayode to reform himself. The first test is that Fani-Kayode should be reminded that politics is local. Coming from Osun State, his commitment to reform himself should start with getting him to integrate himself with APC leaders back in Osun State.
“At this early stage of his membership of APC, beyond the photo show with our dear President Buhari and the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Fani-Kayode should have a photo gallery with images of him uniting with Chief Bisi Akande, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor Gboyega Oyetola and other party leaders in his home state, Osun. In fact, part of this test would have been met had Governor Oyetola and Ogbeni Aregbesola, at the minimum, been part of the welcome reception at the Presidential Villa last Thursday. Had that happened, the raging controversy following the admission of Fani-Kayode into the party would have been minimised.
“Images of leaders from the South-West should be included in the picture gallery. Fani-Kayode should make every effort to repay our leaders’ kindness by proving that he is willing to change himself.
Some of the uproar he’s already sparked makes it seem like he doesn’t want to change at all. For example, his allegation that he helped certain governors resign from the PDP to join the APC indicates that he is still his old poisonous self.
“Only people with very small minds could make such statement and only gullible people can believe them. The claim that three additional Governors – Bauchi, Oyo and Enugu – are on their way to join the APC, also falls in the same category of small mind talking to gullible people. If Fani-Kayode truly want the party to succeed in recruiting anybody, including governors, he should quietly support the leadership. We have a very competent leadership that can handle that responsibility, which is why his admission into the party succeeded in the first place,” he wrote.
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