Former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, has warned that the growing reliance on consensus arrangements within the All Progressives Congress could trigger internal crises and weaken the party’s democratic foundation.

Speaking during an interview on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, Fayemi said the APC had gradually drifted away from the ideals upon which it was founded, especially regarding internal democracy and competitive politics.

“I was very explicit that this is not where the party has come from; that we have lost our bearing, and we’ve lost the vision of the founding fathers of this party,” he said.

The former governor criticised what he described as the declining culture of debate and open primaries within the ruling party, warning that excessive dependence on consensus arrangements could alienate party members and deepen divisions.

According to Fayemi, consensus itself is not inherently wrong if it emerges voluntarily and does not prevent members from exercising their democratic rights.

“I have no objection to it. However, I am a product of a democratic process, and I would always be on the side of the primary,” he stated.

Responding to allegations that he imposed a successor while serving as governor of Ekiti State, Fayemi denied the claims and insisted that the current governor emerged through a transparent contest involving several aspirants.

“I didn’t impose anybody. There was a primary in my state that the current governor contested against at least six other candidates,” he said.

He added that supporting a preferred aspirant should not be equated with suppressing democratic participation.

“I don’t think using influence or having a preference is necessarily a bad thing. What is bad is preventing people from exercising their franchise, and we did not do that,” he explained.

Fayemi also reflected on his own political experience, noting that despite being a former governor and minister, he still contested alongside several aspirants during party primaries.

“Even as a former governor, serving minister, who just resigned from office, I was not coronated. I went to the field with another 20 aspirants,” he said.

The former governor warned that concentrating major decisions in the hands of a few influential figures within the APC could destabilise the party ahead of future elections.

“You know the danger of that? So those who don’t get that consensus, what do you think will happen? You think they will be happy?” he asked.

When asked whether such developments could eventually lead to an implosion within the APC, Fayemi responded: “Yes.”