‘Never return to my vomit,’ as Jonathan’s ex-media aide takes swipe at Fani-Kayode over defection to APC

One-time Minister of Aviation and fierce critic of the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, has defected to the ruling party from the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after months of speculations over the move.

Fani-Kayode formalized the defection following his introduction to President Buhari, Thursday, during a visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He was led to the meeting with the President by the APC National Caretaker Committee Chairman and Mai Mala Buni, in company of Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State.

However, the defection has not gone down well with some PDP chieftains in the country, as an ex-media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Reno Omokri, Thursday, slammed Fani-Kayode for ‘going back to his vomit.’

Omokri, also a fierce critic of the present government, who took to his Instagram handle to express his disgust at the defection of Fani-Kayode, alleged that the politician is broke, which, according to him, can only explain his action.

“Politics without shame is the bane Nigeria. This is why I urge those who love Nigeria to also love business. When you have independent sources of money, you will never call a cow your brother because you want to eat meat.

“How can you know that a person is an inveterate and incurable nepotistic tribalist, and you have said so yourself, then you now bow to him? Buhari is the worst thing to happen to Nigeria, and APC is a gathering of all that is wrong in Nigeria..

“May I never be in a situation where I will have to return to my vomit because my stomach is empty. God I beg you. I beg you. In Christ’s Name!,” Omokri said.

Meanwhile, at the Thursday presentation of Fani-Kayode to President Buhari, Fani-Kayode told State House Correspondents that he also played a major role in the earlier defection of three PDP governors who joined the ruling party recently.

The three governors, he disclosed, include; Zamfara’s Bello Matawalle, David Umahi of Ebonyi State, and Prof. Ben Ayade of Cross River.

 “The point is that I felt it was time to do the right thing, to put Nigeria first and appreciate the efforts that have been made, particularly in the last couple of years in terms of security; fighting insurgency and terrorism.

“It is not always negative and when the time is right, we change direction to join forces and join hands to move the country forward.

“Doing this doesn’t mean we are enemies to anybody. Even if we are in another party, the PDP or any other party or group, we can still work together across party, regional, ethnic or religious lines,” Fani-Kayode said.

Speaking earlier to State House correspondents after Kayode’s presentation, Buni quoted the President as describing the defection of Kayode to APC as a welcome development, saying that the president was pleased that the former minister had joined the APC.

“We are here to present our newest member of the party, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode to the President and leader of the party.

“He is the newest member of APC and we just received him in appreciation and understanding of the President’s vision and magnanimity.

“The President received him very well. The President is a leader who shares his vision and looks toward greater Nigeria, so he received him very well and commended his courage.”

Also present at the presentation was the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha.

Fani-Kayode was a former spokesman for the 2019 PDP Presidential Campaign Council.

He was also the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 2003 and 2006.

His move to the APC may also irk some chieftains of the party who had earlier expressed their disapproval of the former Aviation minister joining their fold on the grounds of the ex-PDP chieftain’s criticisms of the administration in time past.

In a post attaching pictures of FFK and the President via Facebook, Thursday, Special Assistant to President Buhari on Digital and New Media, Mr Tolu Ogunlesi merely descried Fani-Kayode joining the APC as ‘somebody,’ as he refused to call the former minister by his name.

“Today at the State House, Abuja: Somebody has come and joined the APC. And a large-hearted and magnanimous President received him. Because that’s the essential Buhari for you,” he wrote.

Another Presidential aide, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu, expressed unhappiness over Fani-Kayode’s defection to the APC, calling it ‘the saddest day of my political career.’

He posted the message on Facebook, hours after FFK met President Buhari at Aso Rock after defecting to the APC.

“This is the saddest day of my political career,” Ojudu posted.

Ojudu subsequently shared a previous vow by FFK that he would never join APC, adding “I prefer to die than join APC”.

It would be recalled that back in February when rumours of the Fani-Kayode’s defection initially spread, APC governors had rejected the former PDP chieftain, saying he was not welcome to their party.

APC’s Progressives Governors Forum had on February 9, 2021, vowed that the party would never accept Fani-Kayode into the party.

Director-General of the forum, Dr. Salihu Lukman, in a statement said the party would not downplay its integrity by allowing a personality like Fani-Kayode into the party following the ex-Minister’s constant criticism of the APC administration.

“Do we want to reduce our party into one in which everybody is welcome?

“Can we for instance in anyway or form contemplate having an Nnamdi Kanu or Abubakar Shekau as a member?

“At this rate, Nigerians will just wake and see some of our leaders presenting Mr. Fani-Kayode to President Buhari as a new member of our party.

“Although, we can confidently argue that President Buhari will not approve such deranged possibility, it is important to caution that such consideration will be stretching the trust of party members beyond acceptable limits”.