The Nigerian police has been told to arrest former Aviation Minister and Director of New Media, All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode, within the 48 hours over his recent inciting comments.
A group, Save Nigeria Democratic Movement (SNDM) made the call on Thursday.
Fani-Kayode, on Saturday, allegedly stated that the country would be made ungovernable if supporters of presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi refuse to stop their protest against the 2023 presidential election.
He had said: “Let this serve as a timely warning. We cannot be a punching bag for the opposition forever and soon we will react. Trust me when I tell you that if there is any foul play in this matter or any conspiracy to thwart the people’s will, we will make this nation ungovernable.”
Reacting to the erstwhile Minister’s comment, the group called on the police to apprehend the the APC stalwart, insisting that his comment fuelled unprecedented violence against non-Yoruba voters in Lagos State at the just-concluded governorship poll.
Speaking at a press conference jointly addressed by its President, Danjuma Garba and Secretary, Olubankole Peters Adeniyi, SNDM called on the relevant security agencies to tame Fani-Kayode before he plunge the country into chaos with his inciting rhetoric.
The group said, “The Save Nigeria Democratic Movement is disturbed by the recent inciting comments by a former Aviation Minister and Director of New Media, All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode.
“Recently, the media has been awash with reports of Fani-Kayode’s inciting rhetoric targeted at causing ethnic disharmony and widespread violence across the nation. We can no longer continue to ignore his excesses as they pose a grave danger to our democracy, unity and security.
“Recall that his ethnic-profiling and inciting statements fuelled unprecedented violence against non-Yoruba voters in Lagos State at the just-concluded governorship poll. We find totally unacceptable, his recent threat to make the country ungovernable should Bola Ahmed Tinubu not be sworn in. This is a threat against national peace and security and should not be ignored by all relevant security agencies.
“Femi Fani-Kayode is infamous in Nigeria for his opportunistic political misadventures. He is a rabble-rouser whose only political value is the noise he makes and the ripples of disaffection it causes.
“Finally, we call on the Inspector General of Police, and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) to arrest, within 48 hours, Femi Fani-Kayode for posing a grave threat to national security with his ceaseless inciting statements and ethnic profiling. This is to serve as a deterrent to other tribal bigots, and overzealous politicians.”