Immediate past Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allowing Femi Fani-Kayode to join the ruling party.
Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister and ardent critic of Buhari, was Thursday officially announced as an APC member when he visited the President at the Presidential Villa.
But in a statement on Friday, Dalung said Nigerians had entered ‘one chance’ if the APC, especially President Buhari, who Fani-Kayode described as a ‘criminal’, could welcome the former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the ruling.
Described the development as ‘insensitive’, Dalung said:
“In the whole of my existence, I have not been ashamed of myself like yesterday (Thursday) when I watched Femi Fani Kayode standing by the President in the State House in Abuja. I have no problems with people’s political affiliations but I have issues with the manner the confidence and goodwill of Nigerians are been gambled with recklessly by clueless political elites.
“Could recruitment of political liabilities in the face of raving insecurity that has claimed lives of many innocent Nigerians who voted for us be the priority now?
“What has happened to the humanity of APC leaders that we are so insensitive to the mode of the nation? If we have such political strategies of conquering political opponents like Femi Fani-Kayode, then why have we failed to deploy the same to defeat Boko Haram, banditry, unknown gunmen, kidnapping?
He continued, “This wasn’t our mission when we mobilised Nigerians to trust us with power in 2015. The fear of APC is the beginning of wisdom, once a corrupt politician joins APC his sins are forgiven, all corruption charges will be automatically dropped and compensations with juicy appointments will follow.
“Loyalty in the APC party is a capital offence, no wonder Femi Fani-Kayode insulted President Buhari and swore he will prefer to die than joining APC.
“He is now the latest political bride of the President whom he earlier called a “criminal”. If this is what our party can offer at this critical stage of our national history, then Nigeria has entered one chance.”