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Defection: Femi Fani-Kayode Joins The APC As Shehu Sani Moves To The PDP

For many, it was not a shocking move but for others, it was, however, the hottest gist in Nigeria’s political circle right now is that of Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode formally dumping the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

FFK, as he is widely known, served as the country’s Minister of Aviation under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and was a staunch member of the PDP before his latest defection. What is more surprising, however, is the fact that Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode had been one of the strongest critics of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Following his defection, the former minister met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, September 16, 2021, at the Aso Villa in the company of the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the APC, and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.

Speaking to correspondents in the State House after presenting FFK to Mr President, Buni said the President was happy with the defection of the former minister as he described it as a welcome development. He said:

“We are here to present our newest member of the party, Chief Femi Fani- Kayode to the President and leader of the party. He is the newest member of APC and we just received him in appreciation and understanding of the President’s vision and magnanimity.

“The President received him very well. The President is a leader who shares his vision and looks toward greater Nigeria, so he received him very well and commended his courage.”

Femi Fani-Kayode

Revealing why he left the opposition party, Mr. Femi said it was an instruction from God. He said his decision was solely based on the directions of the Spirit of God who has instructed him to join the APC for the unity and stability of the country.

“The point is that I felt it was time to do the right thing, to put Nigeria first and appreciate the efforts that have been made, particularly in the last couple of years in terms of security; fighting insurgency and terrorism.

“It is not always negative and when the time is right, we change direction to join forces and join hands to move the country forward.

“Doing this doesn’t mean we are enemies to anybody. Even if we are in another party, the PDP or any other party or group, we can still work together across party, regional, ethnic or religious lines.”

He has also revealed that the APC he is joining today is very much different than the one he has criticized in the past. Talking to Channels TV, he said the current set-up of the APC is “forward-thinking, and accommodating.”

He also denied claims that he defected to the APC for financial reasons.

“I find that very insulting whether it is coming from your or my critics, I am not the first person that would decamp to the APC, have you asked others this same question?”

Reacting to the defection, Engr. Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi State has responded to claims that the former Minister of Aviation was instrumental in his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Read Also: Goodluck Jonathan Debunks Reports Of Joining The APC As Cleric Issues Warning

The governor labeled the claim ‘a lie from the pit of hell’ and called FFK a liar for insinuating such. Speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, Umahi said:

“For someone to come and say that a whole Chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum, that he was instrumental to my movement from PDP to APC is an insult on my person, and with all due respect, he has to withdraw that statement.

“He remains my friend and a good one for that matter, but he played no role in my movement and I am sure he didn’t play any role in the movement of the rest of us.”

In other news, Senator Shehu Sani has officially defected from the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to POLITICS NIGERIA, the move had been in the pipelines for a while now and he recently invited all the 23 local government chairmen of the PDP in Kaduna State to his residence where he met then to discuss his transition and the 2023 general elections.

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Gunmen abduct Kwara APC chairman’s wife, daughter in midnight raid

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the wife and daughter of Alhaji Muhammad Swasun, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The victims, identified as Hajiya Fatima and her daughter Amina, were seized on Sunday, September 7, at night when a five-man armed gang stormed the party chairman’s residence in Sakpefu.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the attackers scaled the compound fence and opened fire indiscriminately to terrify residents before breaking into one of the rooms.

“They entered into one of the rooms where they found his wife and daughter and took them away, shooting into the air,” a party executive told reporters, adding that the chairman narrowly escaped being kidnapped himself.

Another APC member confirmed that the gunmen operated for several minutes before whisking the women to an undisclosed location.

“The bandits abducted his wife, Hajiya Fatima, and his daughter, Amina, and took them to an unknown destination,” the source explained, according to Vanguard.

The latest abduction has heightened anxiety in Patigi, a region already grappling with recurring cases of kidnapping.

Residents have repeatedly urged the government and security operatives in recent months to intensify efforts to curb the menace.

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Ace Comedian Ali Baba evicted from Victoria Island property over legal dispute

Veteran Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has been evicted from his luxurious, multi-million-naira property located in Victoria Island due to a court dispute.

The property, which was purchased for ₦220 million by Ali Baba, is the subject of an ownership dispute at the Federal High Court.

Amid the legal dispute, Ali Baba and his company, XQZMOI TV, were evicted from the property located at 324A Akin Ogunlewe Street.

The eviction was carried out by bailiffs of the Federal High Court following a writ of possession signed on August 15, 2025.

The property in question was initially sold to Ali Baba by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2021 for ₦220 million.

At the time, AMCON claimed it was recovering debts allegedly owed by Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited.

But Harold Expansion disputed the debt and counterclaimed that they had already made repayments. Their lawyer, Benjamin Olayiwola Sadibo, insisted that the property was sold wrongfully.

On July 31, 2025, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court delivered a verdict that changed everything as he dismissed AMCON’s case, ruling that the corporation had failed to provide convincing evidence of the alleged debt.

The Justice stressed that AMCON did not even present a statement of account to back its claims a fatal omission for a creditor. Worse still, AMCON did not file a defence against Harold Expansion’s counterclaim, leaving the court with no choice but to side with the company.

In addition to ordering the property to be returned to the family of its original owner, the judge also imposed ₦500 million in damages on AMCON.

Ali Baba’s culpability in the case came as a result of the timing of the purchase. Records show that he purchased the property while the case was still in court, despite an existing preservation order.

He was said to have been a tenant of the property’s original owner before AMCON evicted the family and sold it.

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Police summon El-Rufai, other Kaduna ADC chieftains over alleged criminal conspiracy

Anti-Open Grazing

The Kaduna Command of the Nigerian Police has summoned former Governor of the state, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, and other top chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In the summons letter dated September 4, 2025, the ADC members were invited for questioning over alleged incitement of public disturbance, criminal conspiracy, mischief, and causing grievous hurt.

Signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Uzainu Abdullahi, the letter said the invited individuals are required to come and clarify the allegations against them.

“This Department is currently investigating the above-mentioned case involving the following members of your party. You are requested to come along with them to SCID to clarify allegations reported against them by the complainants on 8th September, 2025.

“Mal. Nasir El-Rufa’i, Bashir Sa’idu, Jafaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed, aka 30, Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita, and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini, aka Mikiya,” the letter reads.

Sani, one of the invited members and ADC North-West Vice Chairman, told Daily Trust that he learned of the invitation through social media.

“Yes, most of us only saw the statement on social media,” he said, declining further comments.

The development followed the heated exchanges between the Kaduna State government and El-Rufai over the violence that rocked an ADC meeting in the state last week.

The government accused the former Governor of plotting to cause destabilisation in the state through provocative actions and inflammatory statements.

In a statement signed by Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, the government said it wouldn’t sit idle and watch El-Rufai plunge the state back into violence, division, and insecurity.

“This Government will not fold its arms and allow a discredited former leader, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation,” the statement read.

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