To be blunt and frank, in the scheme of relevance, Femi Fani-Kayode is not relevant, and the ruling party acquired him to break the opposition.
He was not acquired for his electoral value because he has none. No value whatsoever. As a matter of fact, he is a liability, a serious liability to anyone.
But the ruling party intentionally acquired him to rubbish the opposition. The same Fani-Kayode that has been at the forefront of calling President Muhammadu Buhari all sort of names; more like a troll. He led the online trolls for years and suddenly says he has renounced his views on Buhari. The same way he renounced his views on Goodluck Jonathan; which brings to mind the famous word of former President Olusegun Obasanjo: “Give FFK food, he will dance for you.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has relied on online opposition for years, and Fani-Kayode, being an opportunist, took advantage of the situation. Nothing was sacred to the former Aviation minister. He was a master troll. The ethno-religious division that Fani-Kayode raked up in the past seven years will take years to be mopped. The bigot and tribalist has no respect for anything whatsoever.
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Unfortunately, his armies will not follow him to the new party and the BMC online army; popularly known as APC Rottweilers on Twitter will struggle to work with him. All in all, the All Progressives Congress acquired a liability and they know it, but as stated; he was acquired to embarrass the opposition, not for any value.
We will have to wait to see what his defection to the APC will unfold in the next few days or months.
But the most important signing by the ruling party will be former President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan has electoral value and has been the fulcrum of the opposition party.
In the aftermath of the 2015 general election, Jonathan was elevated to the status of Mahatma Gandi and Nelson Mandela. His administration became the rallying point for the opposition; the golden years before the locust years of the present administration.
If Jonathan should now decamp to the ruling party, what would be the rallying cry of the opposition? The ruling party has justified its non-performance by blaming Jonathan’s era. If Jonathan should decamp to the APC, it means accepting all allegations against him and his government. That could be the end of the PDP in the coming years.
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Although, there appears not to be a reasonable reason why Mr Jonathan would join APC. But while local politics in Bayelsa could be a factor, there is also the rumour of a possible 2023 run.
On the local power struggle between former governor Seriake Dickson and Jonathan; the camp of the former president lost out to Dickson after the court ruling by the Supreme Court that nullified David Lyon’s victory. Jonathan had reportedly worked behind the scene against Diri Douye. But with the court decision, Mr Dickson has taken over the PDP structure in the state. Maybe the APC could offer a refugee for Jonathan and his people.
But it is still a long shot.
On the possible 2023 run, those pushing the narrative or egging Jonathan to run are setting him up for political annihilation; one that he may not recover from.
Indeed, there are people in the APC from the North that would love Jonathan to run; the implication being that he will only serve a single tenure of four years and return the power to the North in 2027. This is an idea that will fail spectacularly. His candidature will rip the APC apart and the southern press will viciously shred him into pieces.
Jonathan will have to consider all options. But if he later decides to move, that would be a newsworthy event to deliberate on; not FFK who has neither electoral value nor any credibility.
