By Our Correspondent
Veteran journalist and politician Dele Momodu has revealed that Femi Fani-Kayode, recently appointed as Ambassador-designate to Germany, had sought his assistance to reach out to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for a political lifeline before President Bola Tinubu eventually handed him an appointment.
In an open letter on Thursday, Momodu detailed the depth of Fani-Kayode’s desperation in recent months, describing a man who felt increasingly abandoned and was actively working on alternative plans should his hopes of serving under the Tinubu administration fail to materialise.
“We discussed it several times. And I encouraged him to be patient and prayerful. I felt his deep frustration and depression.
“He was already working on Plan B, and begging a few of us to help him reach out to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (GCON), if all hopes evaporate”, Momodu wrote.
The revelation adds a new dimension to the political drama between the two figures, suggesting that Fani-Kayode—a fiery critic of the opposition.
According to Momodu, Fani-Kayode’s desperation stemmed from a deep-seated need for relevance, a condition he described as inherent to the ambassador-designate’s personality.
“Femi without power is like fish out of water,” Momodu stated.
The open letter, which also contained a blistering critique of Fani-Kayode’s temperament and fitness for diplomatic office, appears to be a response to the former minister’s recent attacks on Momodu following his appearance on Channels Television.
Fani-Kayode had on Monday dismissed Momodu’s interview, in which the latter likened the Tinubu administration to the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, as the ramblings of a man who is “drained, tired and broken.” He had also launched a scathing attack on Momodu’s party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and urged him to abandon the opposition and join the ruling party.
However, Momodu’s latest salvo turns the tables by placing Fani-Kayode’s own recent political manoeuvrings in the spotlight. By revealing that the ambassador-designate had sought a path to Atiku Abubakar—the very figurehead of the opposition Fani-Kayode now vilifies—Momodu appears to question the consistency and political conviction of his long-time associate.
Momodu expressed pity that despite finally securing the appointment he craved, Fani-Kayode remains combative rather than preparing for the gravitas required of a diplomat.
“It is such a pity that now that Tinubu has finally looked at his side, with mercy and compassion, he is still busy fighting, like a pig, instead of seeking urgent rehabilitation into the comity of sane human beings,” Momodu wrote.
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