He has had a running battle with the Economic  and Financial Crimes Commission for years because of his unquenchable appetite for money. Somehow, he has managed through lawyers to avoid a committal term in jail.
He’s equally known too to run his mouth like Ayo Fayose, the present occupant of the Ekiti State Government House. As a result of that nuisance value, he has become a household name.
His name is Fani Kayode.
To some, Kayode is indeed an enigma. A man with an uncanny image of a troubleshooter who projects a facade of a nationalist. To others, he is merely a smart alec that lives on the fence who can be described as the proverbial tse-tse fly which found its way to the scrotum.
Kayode had a brief stinct with the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and later with Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign outfit after what looked like an intense fight, especially with highly placed aides of that era.
Just as he probably has a penchant for money, Fani has an appetite for starring endless controversy. The latest of his ploys is his attempt to put Rotimi Amaechi on the spot.
Several high profile Nigerians have been linked to the high profile loot that was found in Lagos by the EFCC. Amaechi was never one of those names that were being dropped in the court of public speculation.
From out of the blue, Fani and one of his aides have however, put the searchlight on Amaechi. They are claiming that the apartment where the money was found belongs to the former Governor of Rivers State.
Amaechi’s remarks that he is not the owner of the apartment in question is being portrayed as an attempt at a cover up.
Strangely, Fani Kayode is under investigation himself. So should this man, given his background, Â be taken seriously in any rational society? I doubt.
Could this be part of a carefully calculated campaign that is targeted at the anti – corruption fight of President Buhari and those in his administration who are believed to support him unconditionally? There is a possibility.
Top hands of the PDP must really suffer from Amaechiphobia – a situation stimulated by a deep seated sense of fear or distaste of the Amaechi personality – which leads to a state of political hallucination.
When it is not Ayo Fasoye, the perfect example of an “akpala dancer” creating drama, it is Nyesom Wike attempting to smear Amaechi.
Now, Fani has entered the fray. Already, a titanic battle has commenced on twitter and Facebook. So far, there are no winners.
Wike has suddenly claimed in the mass media that the money in question belongs to the Rivers State and so should be returned.
Are the Wikes and the Kayodes telling the truth? Were they the whistle blowers? Have they become staff of the EFCC who are investigating the matter and who have direct relationships with the whistle blower?
Kayode has cut the image of a man who carefully picks his preys, treats them as game before assaulting them in the court of public opinion.
Why Kayode appears headed in the direction of Amaechi who continues to enjoy the admiration of most Nigerians remains unclear.
Amaechi is a modern – day folk hero. Nigerians are yet to forget the spirited fight that ousted Jonathan from power.
Amaechi isn’t much of an easy target to pick on. Those who know him closely would tell Fani that much.
Amaechi is a dogged fighter, a courageous combatant and a man to whom the word intergrity means so much.
Besides, Amaechi doesn’t appear to act like a man high on hard drugs or a man out of a rehab centre, cured of the harmful effects of a sniffing habit.
Fani needs to think again about this fight. It is a fight in which proof and hard facts would be required. A fight that propaganda will not win.
The Amaechi I know doesn’t own a living house in Port Harcourt despite being in public office in that State for sixteen years.
It is to this extent, doubtful that such a man could own the kind of property that is the subject of attention now in Lagos.
Nigerians await the findings of the EFCC which has demonstrated great promise in fighting corruption.
Chief Ogbonna Nwuke is a renowned Journalist/ Publisher, Politician and social commentator
