The former minister has been in the news recently over his rumoured plan to join the ruling APC from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Director- General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has said former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, lacks the values required to be a member of the All Progressives Congress.
The former minister has been in the news recently over his rumoured plan to join the ruling APC from the Peoples Democratic Party.
But in a statement on Friday, Lukman described Fani-Kayode's attempt to join the APC as manipulative.
He, however, said based on consultations within the party, he was confident that the minister would not be accepted into the APC.
The statement read: “The issue of Fani-Kayode’s drifted attempt to join the APC is a clear instance of attempts to manipulate some of our leaders into accepting membership of someone who ought not to have been considered as a member of our party.
“If that was the case in the past, it is better late than never to correct such a mistake; as party members, we were able to rise up to the challenge of engaging our leaders.
“Fortunately, we are able to gain the respect of our leaders and surely, moving forward, issues of who qualifies to be a member of our party will be clarified unambiguously.”
According to Lukman, the APC is different from other parties. He said if it was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), once the national chairman acted on a matter and it was backed by a serving governor, members could only grumble.
Lukman said the capacity of leaders to correct wrong political actions was critical to developing the country`s democracy.
He stated that those supporting APC leaders’ efforts to transform the party into a viable democratic platform need to work harder.
“In doing so, we must not allow the current public mindset of condemning politics, our leaders and our country to provoke us into being defensive,’’ he said.
The PGF DG said allowing this would deprive such persons the needed strategy and confidence to engage the party's leaders.
He added that the challenge of protecting the party and its leaders was not about denying wrong actions but taking steps to correct such wrongs when they occurred.
“There will be many instances of possibility that our leaders and our party may make wrong decisions.
“Our capacity to correct those wrong decisions is what our politics require and not some fantasies.
“No amount of declaration, whether with reference to values or ideology can develop our politics, our parties, our democracy and our nation.
“It is our capacity to get things done and especially get wrong actions corrected that can develop our politics, our party, our democracy and our nation.
“Rather than my leaders, including our governors, relating to me as a subordinate who should only take instructions, they recognise and respect my views as a loyal member of the party," he said.