UK Envoy Slams Fani-Kayode Over Inciting Statements, Reiterates Visa Ban

The United Kingdom has berated a former Minister of Aviation and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Fani-Kayode, over his controversial comments.

Naija News reports that the APC chieftain is known for writing statements and posts deemed derogatory, divisive, and inciting to the opposition parties.

In an interview with Nigeria Info FM on Sunday, British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, said the former minister is guilty of inciting statements.

The UK envoy said he was puzzled that Fani-Kayode would make statements that were triggers of violence leading up from the campaign to the election.

Jones expressed concern that the APC  didn’t distance itself from the former minister’s utterances, and refused to caution him.

He said: “Yes, let’s be specific, there were some people, like Femi Fani-Kayode, what is he saying and why is he saying it? I don’t understand.

“It is wrong from my perspective that he will speak on behalf of a party and that party does not distance itself from him and say stop doing that. It is wrong to say that.

“To me, it is really important, people who have said I am part of a party’s press and media campaign, well, the party itself should say no you are not, and you should stop and we do not agree. I know that some leaders very clearly said we are about unity, and that is good, I encourage that.

“The problem is if you get the other people over here, who are very clearly associated with the party and giving you another message, and there isn’t any kind of calling out of that. What would you take from that as a voter?”

Jones reiterated the UK visa ban threat to those undermining democracy, adding that about 10 persons were on the growing watchlist.

He added: “We watched very closely. We have a list, and we are working through our list but we don’t publish those names. I know people say we should, but we have laws, and the law prevents us from doing that.

“We said we will do this and we will do this. And we are gathering the kind of information that will enable us do this, on specific individuals. At the moment the list is between 5 and 10 and it is growing.”

Recall that Fani-Kayode said the Department of State Services (DSS) invited him for making claims that Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), met with army general’s prior to the elections.