Fani-Kayode reveals that Nnamdi Kanu has agreed to work with PDP to get Buhari out

FORMER aviation minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has revealed that Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) leader Nnamdi Kanu has agreed to work with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to get President Muhammadu Buhari voted out of office next February.

Earlier this week, Mr Kanu appeared in videos and pictures on social media showing him praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. It is the first time he has been seen in public since September 10, 2017 when he and his family fled after Nigerian Army troops invaded their compound in Afaraukwu, near Umuahia, the Abia State capital.

Before fleeing last year, Mr Kanu had become a folk hero among Igbo youths as his campaign for a breakaway republic was very popular among them due to the perceived marginalisation of Igbos by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Chief Fani-Kayode was one of his biggest fans as he repeatedly showed up in court during his trial to show solidarity.

Next year, Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a new president and Chief Fani-Kayode, being a leading member of the opposition PDP, is working to secure victory for its candidate former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. After Mr Kanu appeared in Jerusalem, he and Chief Fani-Kayode spoke and agreed to work together to President Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) out of office.

Chief Fani-Kayode said: "I just received a call from my brother Nnamdi Kanu. I am delighted that he is alive and well.

"I commend his strength and courage even as I marvel at the loyalty, resilience and commitment of his lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Ipob. We have agreed to work together to vote Buhari out."

Across southeastern Nigeria, President Buhari is not popular at all as the region has largely been bypassed when it comes to political appointments. A few years ago, the president said in an interview that those parts of the country like the southeast that only gave him 5% of the vote should not expect to enjoy the same number of appointments as those who gave him 97% of their vote.

Alhaji Abubakar is not considered as anti-Igbo, nepotistic or primordial as President Buhari and to consolidate his position among Ndigbo, he has picked former Anambra State governor Peter Obi as his running mate. Next February, the Igbo-speaking southeast geo-political zone is expected to vote en mass for the PDP and Alhaji Abubakar.