Political activism: The real story of Timi Frank many don’t know

A lover of Nigeria, the Bayelsa born Political Activist, Comrade Timi Frank, is a regular voice in the media in Nigeria and Africa most especially, fearlessly and courageously speaking out for the voiceless, good governance, fighting anti-democratic elements and corruption in the last two decades.

Undoubtedly, Timi Frank has the earing of top political class, political elites and command respect in the corridor of power.

Timi Frank is popularly known as a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) but long before he held this position he has played so many political schemes in his former political party.

His activism against the power that be then led to his suspension from the party in 2016 after criticizing the national chairman of the party then, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and his opposition to the party’s nominated candidates in the 2015 National Assembly leadership election which led to the party losing to the renegade members.

Frank was a member of the former ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) before crisis erupted in the party following disputed PDP Governors’ Forum chairmanship election which led to five governors elected on the party ticket to breakaway and formed a factional party known as new PDP (nPDP) led by Kawu Baraje in 2013.

In the process, Frank was appointed the spokesperson of the nPDP and served until the party formed a mega merger with ACN, ANPP, CPC, and a faction of APGA to form All Progressives Congress (APC).

Frank was elected deputy national publicity secretary working alongside Lai Mohammed the national publicity secretary of the APC.

After the party won the 2015 presidential and election and secured majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, the party nominated Ahmed Lawan for President of the Senate and Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frank and other members of the party opposed the party’s nominated candidates and worked for the election of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara fellow members of the nPDP bloc in the APC for Senate president and speaker of the House.

Frank started having trouble with the APC after he was denied ascending to the position of the national publicity secretary of the party following the appointment of Lai Mohammed, the occupier of the office to a ministerial position in 2015.

The Fearless Timi Frank proclaimed himself the national spokesperson of the APC but the party chairman and secretary countered him and nominated a fresh candidate for the position.

Frank, however, openly criticized the chairman of the party John Oyegun as incapable of leading the party. The party then set up a disciplinary committee to investigate his opposition to the party’s interest and his public criticism of the APC as an insider. Frank refused to appear before the committee describing it as a “Kangaroo Court” and threatened to destabilize the party should he be suspended but the committee went on to suspend him from the party in November 2016.

Despite being suspended in controversial manner, the political activist in 2018 attempted to run for the National Chairmanship of the APC from the nPDP bloc in the party. His ambition was, however, thwarted after the party endorsed a consensus candidate.

Timi Frank later resigned his membership of the APC but that did not lower his voice against oppressors, oppressions, bad governance, corruption and human rights.

His activism and the fight for a better society has earned him his current position where he currently serves as United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) – an Indonesian Colony ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East.