Femi Fani-Kayode: Here are some hard questions for the Buharists

by Femi Fani-Kayode

That is the APC for you. With them you will never see what you will get until it is too late. They are very good at using religion to achieve their objectives and at playing double games. And of course propaganda and the manipulation of the mass media is their forte.

This is indeed the time for us to answer some hard questions and speak some home truths. It is a season that shall separate the men from the boys. It is a time that the holy and wholesome light of truth shall overwhelm and expose the evil darkness of doublespeak and deceit.

It is a season that the enunciation and exposure of the ugly realities of the day must not be sacrificed or compromised on the alter of political expediency or on the table of fear.

Thankfully there are a few courageous and discerning voices that have
risen to the occasion, made the relevant observations and asked the right questions. Amongst them are Mr. Bayo Oladeji and Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje. Permit me to begin with the former.

Oladeji, a seasoned and experienced journalist who writes for the
Leadership Newspaper, wrote the following on his Facebook page on 31st October 2014.

”When Chief Femi Fani-Kayode came out to expose the plan of the APC
chieftains to impose a Muslim/Muslim ticket on the party, their attack dogs were ordered to abuse him using words picked from the gutter. They even told us he was never part of them! Chief Tom Ikimi came out and corroborated him and they said he was telling a moon tale. They then recalled his participation in the Abacha evil rule which murdered Ken Saro Wiwa as if their hero, Muhammadu Buhari did not play same role in the same government. When I raised the issue here after confirming from those who were involved in the plan some who can never talk to their hero rose up ignorantly to fault me. But since President Olusegun Obasanjo did the same, their response remains a deafening silence! When I was growing up I was told that SILENCE MEANS CONSENT. Meaning those who have been saying it are not wrong after all. The Church has kept mum for so long and these
people in the opposition are cornering all for themselves. For example, I have challenged the apologists of APC to publish the list of names and the religions of all their political appointees in the Southwest especially the following- the governors, SSGs, Speakers, Finance Commissioners in all the APC controlled states in the southwest. Let us see how fair they are to the two religions in the country. If they could do this at the state level where they have someone who claims to be a Christian as deputy governor, we wonder what they would do when they have the President and the Vice President from them. In the whole of the North, there is only one Christian in the National Executive Commitee and the National Working Commitee of the APC. His name Engineer Babachir David Lawal from Adamawa State! And if you know the extent he went to get that seat, you would know what that party is up to. These are the issues. It goes beyond President Jonathan. If the party does not change, God spares our lives, come 2019, you will still find me doing the same. Until the rotten tooth is pulled out of the mouth, the mouth will continue eating with caution. It is a tragic irony that those who have come out to defend them are those who claim to be Christians”.

Oladeji’s observations are indeed food for thought even though in
fairness to the APC their party Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, did come out and respond to Obasanjo by saying that his party had no intention of fielding a Muslim/Muslim ticket. Few believe him.

The question is this: in the light of General Mohammadu Buhari’s latest assertion that he cannot rule out the possibility of the selection of a Muslim running mate if he manages to win the nomination as the presidential flagbearer of his party, can the belated assurances of the National Chairman be taken seriously?

I doubt it very much but even if I do take John Odigie-Oyegun seriously and even if he has the best of intentions, the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day it is the Presidential candidate of the party alone that will make the choice as to who his running mate will be and what religious faith that running mate espouses and not the party’s National Chairman.

To that extent Buhari’s celebrated and widely reported comments about not seeing anything wrong with a Muslim/Muslim ticket, in my view, speaks volumes and outweighs Odigie-Oyegun’s denials and desperate attempts to calm the waters.

To make matters worse it is quite possible that John Odigie-Oyegun may end up not being National Chairman for much longer simply because he has dared to challenge the status quo and say what no-one else in his party has dared to say.

To add to Oladeji’s concerns permit me to point out the fact that in the APC-controlled Lagos State today 80 per cent of State House of Assembly members are muslim, 80 per cent of Local Government Area Chairmen are muslim, 80 per cent of National Assembly members are muslim and 80 per cent of Commissioners and key government functionaries are muslim.

All this in a state that has an overwhelming christian majority and that has been governed by a muslim governor for the last 15 years. I will not even go into the affairs of the APC-controlled Osun state which is slowly being turned into a Taliban enclave and which is a place in which Christians are fast becoming second class citizens.

Should anyone be surprised or alarmed by all this? I don’t think so. It is a well-orchestrated, well-thought out, well-designed and well-implemented agenda.

That is the APC for you. With them you will never see what you will get until it is too late. They are very good at using religion to achieve their objectives and at playing double games. And of course propaganda and the manipulation of the mass media is their forte.

They implement their hidden agenda by guile, stealth, deceit and subterfuge and they prey on our sense of fair play, generosity and magnanimity.

In short they have taken us all for granted and they have mistaken our genuine sense of liberalism and the desire to accomodate other schools of thought and perspectives as weakness and stupidity.

Yet it gets worse and it doesn’t stop there. It is also a fact that every single state that is under the control of the APC in the south west today is governed by a Muslim whilst 90 per cent of APC governors throughout the Federation are Muslims.

If this does not paint a clear picture about what the overall agenda of the APC really is and if it does not give a clear indication about what their intentions for our country really are then nothing ever will.

Let us come to Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje who is a banker, an economist and a
lecturer at the Lagos Business School. He made his own contribution to the debate by asking the following insightful questions on his Facebook page on 31st October, 2014 . He asked:

”How come the only debates we have in Nigeria are over a “Muslim-Muslim” ticket? How come the opposition partys instincts are always in that direction-Nuhu Ribadu/Fola Adeola in 2011 and now all sorts of Muslim-Muslim permutations and possibilities? How come a discussion of a Christian-Christian presidential ticket is completely inconceivable and has not been countenanced by anyone? How come Buhari, who even in a military regime instituted a Muslim-Muslim/North-North ruling clique along with Idiagbon and 8 or 9 out of 11 Supreme Military Council members, is now testing the ground again with another possible Muslim-Muslim pairing? Is it that we have a shortage of capable Christians in NIgeria?”

I wonder if anyone can answer these questions. I believe that the Nigerian people deserve to hear the answers. The fact of the matter is that even though many in our country are in deep denial and have buried their heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich, religion has not only become a factor in our politics today but it has actually become THE factor.

This was never meant to be the case and it is a sad and unwelcome
development but, sadly, that is the reality and we have no choice but to live with it. Those that dispute it ought to be reminded of the fact that these are the days of Abubakar Shekau and Boko Haram.

They ought to be reminded of the fact that this is an age that has
witnessed the unprecedented and meteoric rise of Islamic fundamentalism, religious intolerance and ISIL-like barbarity in the affairs of our
nation.

They ought to be reminded of the fact that these are the days that have witnessed the advent of an opposition party that is hell bent on using religion as a major political weapon in an attempt to grab power at the center regardless of the dangers of undertaking such a dangerous and unpredictable course of action.

They ought to be reminded of the fact that this is a time in which the leading Presidential candidate of the opposition party is on record as saying that an attack on Boko Haram ”is an attack on the north”.

They ought to be reminded of the fact that the same man told the Nigerian people in 2002 that he wishes to spread sharia law ”all over the Federation”.

They ought to be reminded of the fact that the official spokesman of the opposition party only last year said that the proscription of Boko Haram by the Federal Government was ”unconstitutional and unjust”. Given all this only a fool would suggest that religion is not a major factor in the unfolding events in Nigeria’s political arena today.

Yet I am not surprised and neither should anyone else be. That is style and manner of Nigeria’s opposition party. That is the APC way: lies, deceit, doublespeak, Byzantian manouverings, subterranean plots and hidden agendas are their stock in trade.

They are nothing but darkness and only the light of God and the power of truth will expose them. May God deliver our nation from their ilk.

There is no gainsaying that both Oladeji and Agbaje have raised some very pertinent issues and their deep concerns reflect the thinking of millions of Nigerian who are very worried about the unfolding agenda.

We await the response of anyone within the ranks of the Buharists and the Haramite hordes for an answer to these pertinent questions and
observations that these two courageous and deeply patriotic Nigerians have raised.

Whichever way we choose to look at it one thing remains clear: the
reaction of the Nigerian people will be decisive and swift if those that wish to turn our nation into an ISIL-style state push their luck too far.

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Femi Fani-Kayode is Nigeria’s former Aviation Minister.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

Comments (21)

  1. Ppl r jst tlkn agnst APC, U ppl said APC is a muslim party indirectly nd de r nt hia 4 chnge! PDP hs been rooling since ever we strtd d so called democratic bt is dia any possitive change? Wat hv de don for d nation! Nothin rada dan dividing d contry jst for dia personal intrest. D increased in fuel is made by d so calld jonathan dt is going to bring jobs for d ppl bt revice is d case rada diverting d money to dia accnt. For dis country to move foda, PDP most go let oda parties play dia own game nd let’s c, den we can compia …..

  2. Some body should tell me problem of dis man,why is he barking lyk dog? What is his concern wit apc? I thought he has jumped d fence to d oda side.why is he so sentimental of d sacre belief. NON-SENSE, Using religion to cause trouble dat wil benefit dem

    1. Oladimeje u r ryt .. He dnt hv wat to say! Y nt he kip his mouth close

  3. Whatever anybody says the truth of the matter is this! Why must it always be muslim muslim ticket? Why is that topic only mentioned in the APC? Why is all their core governors muslims? Why is the labour party, PDP, AD etc not talking about muslim muslim ticket? Whatever you want to call Fani Kayode does not change the fact on ground. As long as nigeria remains a country religion will always be the basis of our politics. I pray the APC fields a muslim muslim ticket and see how the will be so beaten in the presidential elections.

  4. The truth is always bitter but it must be said, Many people will see this as political talk,but those who have their ears on the ground will know that it is the truth and nothing but the truth. . In 2003 Buhari made some utrancies which shows that he is not only a religious fundamentalist he is a fanatic. In 2011 Buhari set Niheria on fire when he lost the election to GEJ, many lives and properties were lost, Buhari could not talk to his fanatics zombi suporters untill thousands of southerners were sent to their early graves,If Buhari and his fellow northern elites are innocent why haven’t they come together to condem or fine a solution to boko haram activities, Buhari said he will make Nigeria ungovernable we thought that he was joking untill we saw boko haram in a diffrent colour,GEJ is a man of courage inspite of all this distractions he is still performing.APC have hiden agenda GOD will expose them.

  5. Mr Femi Fani Kayode or what is that your name i believe you lack knowledge of your religion, i can swear that you are not a good christian but rather a religious bigot,ethnocentric. The way your write up is that’s how you are,uneducated,does’nt mean that you attend four walls of classroom makes you educated. Please my advise to you, travel around Nigeria to know more about other sides of the country, is people like you that are creating division and confusion among Nigerians on religious and ethnic background. Gen Buhari is a credible person, don’t bring the issue of religion to castigate him,whether muslim/muslim or muslim/christian what Nigerians want is credible persons be it christian or muslim with good track records,legacy and antecedents that can fight corruption that is eating the country. Proverb ” a fish in well does not know anywhere apart from one place” . Thas Mr Femi Fani Kayode a fish in one place.

  6. Finally, ask God for forgiveness for trying to spread falsehood and pitch people against themselves. Failing, the hammer of God’s judgement will fall on your head and your sponsors.

    1. Sermon. Pastor

  7. we want a performance/ performance ticket, irrespective of religion. we want men that have distinguished themselves in service. Ribadu distinguished himself at the same time you were in service as aviation minister and you decided to loot. you had no impact on the aviation sector. you left it worse than you met it.
    Fola adeola built one of the most successful banks in the country. What have you built? They were selected not on the basis of religion but competence. Jonathan has rules for 6 years, a christian. What has he achieved? This is what happens when you select based on sentiments and primodial standards. It breeds mediocrity. See what fashola has done. Does it have to do with religion? No its a heart of service to bring relief to Gods people. Both christians and muslims are Gods property, created by God. CHrist also died for all. Get it straight, no more sentiments. Nigeria must be delivered from its oppressors. The cabal, which you represent. No more deceit.

  8. The real ISIL is you and your religious contractors like pastor ayo who have been ferrying our money out to buy weapons to arm BOKO HARAM PDP fighters who have been destryiong lives to give the impression that muslims and northerners are evil and want power at all cost. False. Also be informed that ISIL is like BOKO HARAM PDP who are just power hungry and they dont represent any religion. They kill christians , muslims, hindus and even their own brethren. Its about money and power just like what you and your sponsored PDP BOKO HARAM, led by you and a prominent member of PDP, called MODU SHERRIF, one of jonathan’s best friend. You are not a christian but a son of hell. I am a yoruba man and a christian. You are an utter disgrace.

  9. There is nothing like Buharists, but we do understand that only righteousness exhalts a nation, not religious bigotry. Righteousness is not a religious TOGA but a heart that fears God, that is just and does not oppress the defenceless or loot their resources. Righteousness is a personality that manifests himself in vessels yielded to him for Good works like cyrus and beltshazzar. Rather than a hebrew king, rehoboam who did so much evil in Gods sight and sent israel into captivity. Enough of deceit using christianity which you dont even practice, but simply wear as a robe to deceive. You are not named by the name of christ because you are just a bitter old fool who is looking for relevance and money. You will do any hatchet job to earn your pay. Shame on you. AGBA IYA

  10. @yinka ola, may God bless ur wisdom. Nice and apt response to a shameless idiot indeed!!

  11. wont be surprised if we are to discover that you are part of the PDP sponsored boko haram who want to discredit Good people that want to rescue this nation. Its obvious you are part of the cabal, having benefitted from our common wealth when you looted as minister of aviation. Shame on you. OLE

  12. Also you have a criminal record of looting 6 billion naira as minister of aviation. How can such a criminal speak for christ, talkless of morality. Go and ask God for forgiveness and let Good people like Buhari mentor you. You are also one of the real enemies of nigeria who want to cause division amongst a people who hitherto lived in harmony, using religion. You are the real enemy of nigeria like your cohorts. Desist from this your evil act or you end up like your father. Shameless idiot

  13. You are crook and part of the looting generation like you father. you have no moral rights to talk about buhari because you dont even represent christ you claim to be fighting for. you are a godless criminal. secondly, you lack morality being a looter who mishandled public funds. buhari is miles ahead of you and you father in this regard. Thirdly, you lack home training. you are disrespectful to elders. Finally, you are a cocaine addict whose second home is the rehab centre. we are wise enough to know what we want , not a clueless leader who masks himself with religion.

  14. WE ARE ALL AWARE THAT YOU ARE THE PDP AGENT YOU HAVE BEEN SENT BY YOUR BOSS TO COME AND CASTIGATE APC, I DONT AGREE WITH YOU SAYING THAT ‘SILENT IS CONSENT’ AND HOW CAN SOME ONE DID SOME THING WRONG AND BLAME THE GENERALITY THIS IS INJUSTICE AND SELF-CENTERED STATEMENT,PLEASE YOU BETTER MIND YOUR TALK.

    1. U r vry correct MUHAMMAD Abubakar his confuse nd he wants to b popular let him kip his dirty mouth shot

  15. Muslim/Muslim is not an issue in governance,it is the dividend of governance that matters. What benefit have we gained from Jonathan Christian/Muslim administration except bad road,sponsored insurgent,political killing,corruption and all manners of bad attitude. Governor Fashola APC and his PDP counterparts can never be compared in term of service. Fani Kayode and his apologists should find let the sleeping Dog lie

  16. Ranting of an overfed, over-papered and uncounth drug addicts. Ur ranting hardly hold any water.

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