Former Ekiti State governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kayode Fayemi, has criticised the democratic malpractices that overshadowed the ruling party’s primaries, warning that the party has drifted far from its founding ideals and may be heading toward internal crisis over undemocratic reliance on consensus arrangements.
Speaking during an interview on a political podcast, Fayemi said the APC has lost direction and the spirit upon which it was built, expressing concern that shrinking internal democracy could destabilise the party ahead of future contests.
“I was very explicit that this is not where the party has come from; that we have lost our bearing, and we’ve lost the vision of the founding fathers of this party,” he said.
Fayemi questioned the increasing use of consensus in party decision-making, arguing that while it is not inherently wrong, it becomes dangerous when it denies members the right to freely choose candidates.
He also refuted claims that he imposed a successor during his tenure as governor of Ekiti State, insisting that the process was competitive and open.
“I didn’t impose anybody. There was a primary in my state that the current governor contested against at least six other candidates,” he said.
According to him, having a preferred candidate does not amount to political imposition, as long as others are allowed to participate freely.
“I don’t think using influence or having a preference is necessarily a bad thing. What is bad is preventing people from exercising their franchise, and we did not do that,” he said.
Fayemi further stressed that even at the height of his political influence, he never bypassed party primaries or imposed himself on the process.
“Even as a former governor, serving minister, who just resigned from office, I was not coronated. I went to the field with another 20 aspirants,” he said.
While acknowledging that consensus could work if genuinely agreed upon, he insisted that internal democracy must remain the backbone of any political party.
“I have no objection to it. However, I am a product of a democratic process, and I would always be on the side of the primary,” he added.
Warning of the risks associated with imposed consensus, Fayemi cautioned that sidelined aspirants could become a source of instability within the party.
“You know the danger of that? So those who don’t get that consensus, what do you think will happen? You think they will be happy?” he asked.
When pressed further on whether such tensions could trigger a breakdown within the party, he gave a blunt response: “Yes.”
