Fani- Kayode Is Jealous of Tinubu- APC Chieftain

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Lateef Raji, says the Director of Media and Publicity, Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, is envious of the many achievements of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Raji, who is a former Special Adviser to former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, said this during an interview with a Punch correspondent on Thursday.

He said this while reacting to Fani-Kayode’s claim that the APC crisis showed that the North had put an end to Tinubu’s political dominance.

Fani-Kayode had also maintained that the North would dominate Nigeria for the next four years while other geopolitical zones, including the South-West, would be inconsequential under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Raji described such a statement as misleading given the fact that Tinubu had helped produce a Yoruba man, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, as the Vice-President.

He said, “He and many others just envy Tinubu because that statement is flat. No one can take Yoruba for granted. How can we be marginalised when we hold the number two position in the country? Yoruba cannot be marginalised in anyway.

“People envy Tinubu and always wish for his downfall. However, if you remember very well, these were the same people that predicted that the APC would not merge successfully. After we did, they predicted that we would not succeed at the polls but we proved them wrong. So, we will keep ignoring them.”

Buhari had received harsh criticisms recently for appointing only one southerner among his nine appointments.

However, Raji said the nine appointments were not key ones and there was no need to worry.

He said, “So far, the most important appointments have not been made. Appointments that do not need the approval of the Senate are usually not major ones. However, when it is time to make appointments, I am sure that Buhari will take the federal character into consideration.

“If he doesn’t, his attention will be drawn to it.”