The All Progressives Congress has issued a pointed warning to former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, telling him to stop making public statements that portray the ruling party negatively or face formal disciplinary action, and suggesting he consider joining an opposition party if he no longer believed in the APC’s direction.

The APC national secretary issued the warning after Fayemi gave a television interview in which he said the party had drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers, lost the internal debate and ideological clarity that once defined it, and was developing a culture of consensus arrangements and endorsements that he warned could trigger serious internal crises ahead of future elections.

Fayemi also criticized the pattern of party members rushing to seek favour from the presidency, saying the dynamic was unhealthy and would eventually produce an implosion among those who failed to secure what they sought.

The APC’s response was blunt. Its national secretary said the party would not stand by while one of its members publicly wished it ill, and that Fayemi should move to a political platform where his views could be expressed freely rather than remaining in a party he clearly no longer respected.

He also accused Fayemi of engaging with opposition elements ahead of the Ekiti governorship election, citing remarks made by Amaechi as confirmation that Fayemi had been part of discussions about forming an opposition front against the APC. He said making such statements during the party’s primary season and in the lead-up to the Ekiti election was calculated to weaken the party at a vulnerable moment.

The APC said it would invoke its disciplinary mechanisms against Fayemi if he remained in the party and continued to make statements the leadership regarded as anti-party activity.