APC Owes Nigerians Apology For Failed Promises, Ousting Jonathan From Gov’t
Former Minister of Solid Minerals and ex-Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has publicly acknowledged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) failed to deliver on its 2015 election campaign promises.
In a televised interview on Channels TV, Fayemi expressed regret over the party’s shortcomings, attributing them to both incompetence and “structural impediments.”
The former Minister also reflected on the actions taken by the party to oust former President Goodluck Jonathan from government.
When asked if the APC should apologize for the role it played in removing Jonathan, Fayemi responded without hesitation, saying, “Oh, clearly, we must apologize to the Nigerian people. We have not succeeded in achieving everything we promised.”
Fayemi recalled the politically charged Occupy Nigeria protests during Jonathan’s administration, which were triggered by the government’s decision to remove fuel subsidies.
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He admitted that, despite knowing Jonathan’s subsidy removal policy was the right decision, the protests were politically motivated.
“We knew Jonathan’s decision to remove fuel subsidy was right, but we protested against it,” he confessed.
He went on to acknowledge the APC’s shortcomings, attributing their failure to deliver on promises not solely to incompetence but also to “structural impediments” that hindered progress.
Fayemi emphasized that an apology to Nigerians is necessary, though it should be accompanied by real efforts to make amends.
“An apology may give us a feel-good factor, but that’s not really what we need. We need to get our act together—all of us who consider ourselves leaders in this space. If we don’t, the risks we face as a nation are far greater than the benefits we seek.”
The former governor also reflected on the lessons he learned from the country’s elder statesmen and his responsibility to the younger generation.
“I was brought up by the Enahoros and the Wole Soyinkas of this world. They lifted me up as a young man. I have a duty to the youth of Africa to enable them to become better leaders than I have been,” Fayemi said.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
