Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti state, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost the vision of its founding fathers and risks internal implosion if the party continues to rely on imposed consensus arrangements.
Fayemi spoke during a podcast interview on State of Affairs with Edmund Obilo.
The former governor said the APC has gradually shifted from being a party that directs government to one controlled by government officials.
“The party is now the agent of government, not the other way around,” he said.
Fayemi, however, denied allegations that he imposed candidates while serving as governor of Ekiti state.
“There was a primary in my state that the current governor contested against at least six other candidates,” he said.
“I don’t think using influence or having a preference is necessarily a bad thing. What is bad is preventing people from exercising their franchise.”
According to him, he has always supported competitive primaries and democratic participation within the party.
“I am a product of a democratic process,” he said.
“I would always be on the side of primary.”
CONSENSUS NOT WRONG
Although Fayemi said there is nothing inherently wrong with consensus arrangements, he argued that such agreements must be genuinely negotiated and not forced on party members.
“There’s nothing in principle wrong with consensus, if it is genuine consensus,” he said.
The former governor also criticised the absence of debate and ideological engagement within the APC.
“You don’t see intellectualism because there’s no debate in our party,” he said.
Fayemi recalled addressing party members at an APC south-west conference in Lagos, where he warned that the party was drifting away from its original ideals.
“I was very explicit that this is not where the party has come from,” he said.
“We have lost our bearing, and we’ve lost the vision of the founding fathers of this party.”
Asked whether Bola Ahmed Tinubu promotes imposition politics within the APC, Fayemi rejected the claim.
“I don’t believe so,” he said.
However, he warned that excessive reliance on presidential endorsement and consensus arrangements could create resentment within the party.
“So those who don’t get that consensus, what do you think will happen?” he asked.
“You think they’ll be happy?”
Fayemi added that such developments could eventually destabilise the ruling party if not properly managed.
