By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A former Minister, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, has disclosed that he has been invited by the Department for State Services (DSS) for questioning over his allegation that a former Vice President, Mr Atiku Abubakar, had a secret meeting with army generals with a view to scuttling the February 25, 2023, presidential election and plotting a coup.
FFK, as he is fondly called, claimed that Mr Atiku was doing this because he feared that his chances of winning the poll were slim and was desperate to cause chaos and prevent the emergence of the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bola Tinubu.
However, the military issued a statement to discredit FFK’s claims, emphasising that it was loyal to the constitution of Nigeria and would do everything possible to protect democracy. It then warned against such utterances capable of causing trouble.
In response, FFK claimed he relied on an unnamed newspaper report and on Monday, February 13, 2023, he disclosed that he had been invited by the DSS for questioning today.
“Three days ago, on the day that I tweeted about newspaper reports alleging that Atiku was secretly meeting with Army Generals, I received a text message from someone who claimed to be a DSS officer asking me to report to them on a matter of national security.
“I dismissed the invitation because it was vague, and I was not sure whether it really came from the DSS.
“In any case, I had no intention of going anywhere unless I was formally invited.
“To my surprise, I received a formal letter from them to report to their office without fail two days later, which was yesterday evening.
“I put a call through to them and was advised to take the matter very seriously and report to them on the stipulated day and time otherwise, the worse may happen.
“I found it interesting that a call came from one of Atiku’s dogs for me to be arrested by the security agencies yesterday, and had it not been for the fact that the DSS had actually sent a text to me two days earlier, I may have thought that they were acting on the instructions of what can only be described as a hopeless and desperate presidential candidate, opposition party and PCC who are clutching at straws, drowning fast, seeking to silence those that give them sleepless nights, shivering in despair and staring defeat in the face in the upcoming presidential election.
“Clearly, the DSS was not influenced by Atiku and were simply doing their job by inviting me on a matter that needs explanation and clarification and for a thorough interrogation.
“And, of course, being a responsible and law-abiding citizen, I will present myself before them accordingly.
“Unlike cowards like Emefiele, Atiku and their strange bedfellows, I do not fear my own shadow, and neither do I shiver and shake when I am invited by the security agencies.
“I always honour their invitations when properly invited because that is the right and proper thing to do.
“This is all the more so when it touches and concerns matters of national security, which I take very seriously, and when it involves agencies like the DSS who are professional and thorough in their methods and approach.
“I have nothing to hide, and consequently, I will present myself before the DSS this morning as I have been asked to do.
“I maintain my utter contempt for Atiku and the vermin that are around him, and no matter what happens to me today or at any other time, know that as long as there is life in me, I will oppose the darkness and evil that they represent.
“I am used to arrest, interrogation, detention, prosecution, and so much more and have suffered these indignities on many occasions over the last 15 years.
“I have no fear: nothing moves me, and only death can silence me.
“The most important thing now is not what happens to me but rather achieving the noble quest to ensure the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our next President.
“That is the mission that we must focus on because that is the only way to save our country. I hope that I will be at liberty and free to continue to play my role in that quest, but if I am not and I am detained indefinitely or till the election is over, so be it.
“In such circumstances, be assured that I will be praying fervently for Asiwaju’s victory from the inside.
“For the record, I have said or done nothing wrong or that I should not have said or done, and I stand by everything that I have said or written in the past on all issues.
“It is not a crime to express my concerns about the despicable activities of Atiku, who, in my view, has a hidden agenda and who is so desperate for power that he is prepared to do anything and turn the whole country upside down in order to achieve it.
“May God protect our people and nation from such a shameless and questionable character and such a disastrous plight, and may He continue to be with us all,” he said.
