Former Aviation Minister, Fani Kayode Meets With President Jonathan After APC Diatribe - PM News, Lagos

Femi Fani-Kayode

By Ayorinde Oluokun

There were speculations that Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation and lately, a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC may have decided to return to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party following his close door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday.
Fani Kayode who had in the past few months written a series of critical articles against the Jonathan administration, met with the President behind closed-doors at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.
At the end of the meeting, the former Aviation minister refused to give details of his discussion with the President in an interview with State House correspondents after the visit.
“I won’t go into that,” was the curt reply of the former Aviation minister on his discussions with the President.
Fani Kayode also told journalists since the presidential villa houses the president of Nigeria, every Nigerian is entitled to pay a visit to the place from time to time
On his relationship with the President, Fani Kayode said: “I have always believed that every Nigerian regardless of the side of the political divide they belong, and as a Nigerian myself I have believed that we disagree on an issue from time to time, the most important thing is for us to be able to resolve these issues come together to move this country forward.”
He added that every right thinking and responsible person should be able to come to the villa from time to time and see how they can help to move the country forward.
He was however evasive on whether he is on his way out of APC affirming that he will make his position known at the appropriate time: “The step that I will take will be made known to Nigerians at the right time. The most important thing and I think you are fully aware of this is that I cannot and I will not be associated with a situation whereby any group of people is promoting a religion above another.”
“I think all of us have gone past the stage of religious politics in this country. We must treat the Muslim community with utmost respect and we must treat Christian community in the same way and even the non-religious,” added the former Minister.
Fani Kayode has of recent criticized the rumored attempt of APC to field former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, who are both Muslims as the presidential and vice presidential candidate in the impending 2015 general elections.
The former Aviation Minister argued that the party should instead present a Muslim and a Christian for the position.