Femi Fani-Kayode And Defection: The Two Sides Of The Coin

DR. CHUKS OSUJI 

Indeed, Nigeria my country is an interesting place to live but it is a place of perplexities and complexities. It is a country with numerous and incalculable number of political contradictions. It is indeed just like a computer system: Garbage in garbage out.  I may add, it is a place where night could become day and day becoming night. As a political scientist with vast knowledge of world history, at the twilight of my life, I have come to understand why there are so many contradictions, perplexities and sometimes irreconcilable phenomena. Believe me, my country men and women, this is a country, which defers well known economic, social, political and geopolitical theories.

Interestingly and conversely, I still love my country perhaps to my chagrin. One may ask, after enumerating all abnormalities, why do I still love my country? My answer has remained consistent. It is the same answer I gave to my Doctorate degree classmate in 1979 in the United States who visited me a couple of years ago in my office. After staying for some few hours with him and seeing how I was struggling to do one or two things in my office with devastating severe blindness, he asked me, “Dr. Osuji, why have you decided to come and stay in your country in perseverance instead of returning to the United States where you had a lot of professorial appointments?”

Without mincing words, I replied, “Larry, it is because I love my country but hate myself. And in America, I will be very comfortable but very unhappy.” He threw a sorrowful look at me and remarked, “as I bid you bid you farewell, please stay with your decision.” 

Thus my answer to him many years ago remains valid till today. 

Honestly, as political, social and economic melodramas unfold in this country, as an analyst, I draw a lot of interesting melodramas from the behavioural pattern of Nigerians. Because things that are abnormal elsewhere become normal in my country. The reason for this behaviour is multiple and not subject of this analysis. 

The subject of this analysis as the heading suggests is the issue of Femi Fani Kayode’s defection from PDP to APC. Since the defection was made last Wednesday in a most celebrated pattern, Fani Kayode standing side by side in a presidential lodge with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It was during that time that he unleashed the remaining portion of his verbal missile on PDP nay the nation and virtually lavished a lot of praises on President Buhari. By that action, many like me strongly believe that what PDP has received amounts to inviting a scorpion to a dinner. It is just like when Oshiomhole joined APC which I described as a disaster in waiting. As a Public Opinion Analyst, as one who takes a closer look at events, I had known that Fani Kayode I know very well at least from his verbal utterances is and always would be loose cannon.

Since then, many have said unprintable things against the former minister. Some astute APC chieftains did not celebrate his defection. Rather they were lamenting and bleeding inside their hearts. Because Fani Kayode is one Nigerian that will give you good morning in an early morning and give you good evening before afternoon. 

I recalled when I flew on a British airline from Lagos to London a couple of years ago. He made everyone in that cabin happy and comfortable listening to his gift of the gab. Indeed, he has an orator of a Romanic classis. He reminded me of his father in the early days of Post independent politics, who created a lot of havoc in the western house of assembly fuelling and promoting the problem between chief Awolowo and Samuel Akintola the then premier Akintola. Those who were shocked to their mortuary did so because they did not understand the political chemistry and grassroots of Femi Fani Kayode. 

Interestingly, many people in PDP who did not lament over his defection knew that life’s existing incidents could be referred to as good riddance to bad rubbish. I do not share in the frenzy of condemnation of him because he is on an endless mission not yet completed. On the other hand, those who are condemning him to have defected, I have only one word for them. They should read John chapter 8:7 where Jesus Christ said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And none did. 

If APC handles his defection well, he will be an uncomfortable asset. But if they fail to do so, soon, I mean soon, they may alienate him to say worse things than he has said against them before. But the truth remains and remains very strongly that his defection is consistent with the current Nigerian political culture and that he should not be singled out to have done something out of the ordinary. After all, a close look at his character including his marital behaviour, a man who has married five wives within thirty four years could help us predict his next line of action. Meanwhile APC leadership under the current acting chairman has done very well technically in their mission of poaching the PDP hierarchy members. The addition of Femi Fani Kayode must be an added game successfully poached. We hope and pray that some of these great people would help to strengthen APC and not plan for its down fall. 

Do I need to say more?