Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has vehemently denied ever accusing President Bola Tinubu of responsibility for the 2006 murder of Lagos governorship aspirant Funso Williams.
Femi Fani-Kayode
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Fani-Kayode dismissed claims by activist and SaharaReporters publisher Omoyele Sowore, who referenced alleged past remarks by the ex-minister in his ongoing defamation lawsuit against Tinubu.
Sowore had cited comments purportedly made 11 years ago, alleging Fani-Kayode accused Tinubu of killing Williams, found murdered in his Ikoyi residence in July 2006. Fani-Kayode insisted: “This is false. I never said that President Tinubu killed Funso Williams.”
He clarified that the remark in question, made during the 2015 presidential campaign as PDP’s Director of Media and Publicity for then-candidate Goodluck Jonathan, was: “I am not Funso Williams; I cannot be killed like a chicken.” Fani-Kayode stressed this did not implicate Tinubu in the killing.
The chieftain, who defected from PDP six years ago and joined APC in 2021, said he retracted the statement long ago, admitting it was “inappropriate and capable of being misconstrued.”
Fani-Kayode accused Sowore of desperation in dredging up old campaign rhetoric, noting that 2015 elections featured heated exchanges from both sides.
He highlighted his pivotal role in Tinubu’s 2023 victory as Director of New Media and Special Operations, leading a 250-member team, and his continued support for the administration.
He also distanced former Jonathan aide Reno Omokri from Sowore’s case, pointing out Omokri’s post-2023 retractions and defence of Tinubu’s policies.
“For Sowore to try to rope me or Reno into his matter is absurd,” Fani-Kayode said, urging Sowore to retract his statements or face court consequences.
The ex-minister lauded Tinubu’s magnanimity in embracing former foes, calling it a mark of the president’s “decency and humanity.”
Ravenewsonline reports that Williams’ unsolved murder remains a sore point in Lagos politics.
