Erstwhile Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His defection was announced in a Facebook post by President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Tolu Ogunlesi.
In the post on Facebook which was accompanied by a photo of Fani-Kayode, Ogunlesi stated: “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.”
Fani-Kayode was presented to the President by the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of APC, and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, on Thursday, September 16, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Fani-Kayode joined the APC months after visiting several APC state governors including Yahaya Bello.
Speaking on his defection, he said “the Spirit of God” led him to taking a decision to join the ruling party. The former minister also said he would be assisting to build unity in the country.
Fani-Kayode also claimed to be instrumental to the defection of some PDP governors and hinted that more opposition governors are being wooed.
Asides from being a major stakeholder of the opposition party, Fani-Kayode was a former spokesman for PDP Presidential Campaign Council.
Speaking 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.
He said, “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.”
Fani-Kayode also spoke to the correspondents saying that he believed that it was time for him to cross over to join hands with the President in moving Nigeria forward.
He said, “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,” he said.
