Fani-Kayode Should be Prosecuted If…, Atiku Charges DSS

•It’s disturbing PDP is politicising matter, APC alleges 

•Leave him alone, party’s campaign tells police

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has said the Director of Special Projects and New Media of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode, should be prosecuted if he refused to produce the names of the purported coup plotters.

But the APC leadership has expressed dismay about how the PDP was allegedly handling the matter, saying it was disturbing that the opposition party had continued to exploit and politicise the issue.

At the same time, the APC Presidential Campaign Council, has told the Nigeria police to leave Femi Fani-Kayode alone, because such unending invitations by the different agencies a few days to the election, when his services were mostly needed, was unhealthy for the campaign.

The Department of State Services (DSS) had Monday grilled Fani-Kayode for making insinuations of an attempted coup being planned by Atiku and top military generals.

While Fani-Kayode was being grilled by the DSS, he was suddenly invited by the Nigeria Police Force over the same issue, which  forced the APC campaign organisation to issue a statement calling on the police to leave Fani-Kayode alone.

Atiku, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Public Communications to Atiku, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, commended the police for widening the scope of investigation.

He urged  the police not to be intimidated by the Tinubu campaign organisation, insisting that the allegations made by Fani-Kayode were too weighty to be ignored.

“We commend the police for widening the scope of investigation by inviting Fani-Kayode over claims of army generals meeting with Atiku with a view to toppling a democratically elected government.

“However, as we had stated earlier, Fani-Kayode is not acting alone. The defence put up by Mr Bayo Onanuga on behalf of Tinubu’s campaign organisation shows that Fani-Kayode has not been acting alone.

“It is obvious that other members of Tinubu’s campaign have information about this supposed coup. They all need to be invited so they can shed more light on the coup,” Atiku said.

The former vice-president stressed that Fani-Kayode must not be treated as a sacred cow because he is a member of APC, saying the police should not leave any stone unturned as the probe deepens.

He maintained that  the police must not just invite Fani-Kayode but must also grill him with a view to prosecuting him if he was unable to produce the names of the purported coup plotters.

Atiku said: “Fani-Kayode should not just be given a slap on the wrist. He should be prosecuted if he cannot produce the names of the coup plotters. On July 7, 2022 Fani-Kayode similarly accused soldiers of complicity in the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and the attack on Kuje prison, where hundreds of terrorists were released.

“Till date Fani-Kayode  has refused to reveal the identities of the soldiers involved. These are allegations that are too weighty to be ignored. The police and the DSS must thus dig deeper for the sake of national security.”

Nevertheless, the APC has expressed concern after the Police requested Fani-Kayode to appear before it on the same issue already being investigated by DSS

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement said Fani-Kayode was an upstanding and law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, adding that, he honoured the invitation by the DSS and submitted himself fully to their investigative authority, and continued to cooperate with the investigation.

“While we recognise the constitutional authority of the Nigeria Police Force to initiate and conduct criminal investigations, we urge extreme caution in this matter so as not to inadvertently lend itself to unnecessary speculation as to the rationale for simultaneous and multiple investigation into this matter.

“The PDP has continued to relentlessly exploit and politicise this matter that is the active subject of law enforcement investigation. That is simply unconscionable and disturbing,”Morka noted.

In the same breath, the Director, Media and Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, yesterday, said, on Tuesday, the AIG Federal Investigation Bureau also invited Fani-Kayode for questioning.

He said while the APC campaign was  not questioning the authority of the police to invite its official, the police should be mindful that the truth they sought was already being pursued by the DSS.

“The APC-PCC is concerned about the latest invitation by another security agency, just some 10 days to the election, when he is most needed as our director of New Media.

“Chief Fani-Kayode, upon his first interview by the DSS, described the agency as “very professional”, in the way the operatives grilled him on a tweet accusing one of the opposition leaders of cooking something with the military authorities.

“The DSS at the meeting made it clear to him that the basis of his tweet, a newspaper report was not correct,” Onanuga said, stressing that the police should allow the DSS to complete its investigation.

“We want the police to allow the investigation go its full course, so that they do not open themselves to suspicions that they were implementing an agenda scripted by the opposition.

“Chief Fani-Kayode is a respected Nigerian and had served his country as minister of aviation. He will be available any time to answer for his actions,” he said.

Onanuga recalled that the DSS had in a statement, Tuesday night, explained the reason for Fani-Kayode’s invitation, saying it was in respect of an investigation of some of his allegations and insinuations relating to issues relevant to National Security.

“Chief Fani-Kayode faced a Panel which interviewed him on the subject matter. Afterwards, the Service granted him administrative bail and directed that he makes routine returns to the Office with effect from Wednesday, 15th February, 2023 till otherwise. The investigation, however, continues,” DSS had said.