Why I Rejected Tinubu, Buhari’s Offers to Join APC — Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose

Why I Rejected Tinubu, Buhari’s Offers to Join APC — Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has disclosed why he rejected separate invitations from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), revealing that the offers came with promises of political control of Ekiti State which he turned down. Fayose made the revelation on Tuesday while speaking with journalists, also using the opportunity to explain why he has continued to support the administration of Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, despite remaining a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The former governor said his decision not to defect to the APC was based on personal conviction rather than political calculations, and that offers from some of the party’s top leaders, including Buhari and Tinubu, could not change his position.

Fayose explained that the attempts to bring him into the APC dated back several years, with one approach coming around the period former Governor Kayode Fayemi was preparing to return as governor of Ekiti State. According to him, Tinubu personally reached out and invited him to become a member of the APC, but he declined the invitation. He added that Buhari also made a similar appeal while serving as President, but he maintained the same position and refused to join the ruling party. The efforts did not end with phone conversations, as Fayose disclosed that he was later taken to meet the then National Chairman of the APC, where another attempt was made to convince him to defect. Speaking on the issue, Fayose said: “I was governor for seven and a half years; I never had peace. The state was governed in turmoil and confusion. Tinubu called me and told me to come and join APC. I said I won’t join. This happened five years ago when Fayemi was about to be governor. The President called me that I should come. I said I’m not coming. When Buhari was there, he told me I should come. I said I’m not coming.”

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Fayose revealed that he was promised political influence in Ekiti if he agreed to join the APC. According to him, he was told the political structure of the state would be left in his hands. However, he said such assurances did not influence his decision. “He said he would take me there. I said I’m not going. They took me to the office of the then National Chairman. They talked to me. I said I’m not going to work with Buhari. I’m very clear. They said they would leave the state for me. Don’t leave it. If they had left the state for me, I didn’t know Oyebanji would come,” Fayose recounted. The former governor’s stance on remaining in the PDP has been consistent over the years. In July 2025, he told Channels Television’s Politics Today that Tinubu had offered him a position, which he declined, saying, “Have you seen me taking appointment from the APC? Asiwaju asked me, ‘What would we give you?’ I said, ‘Nothing, sir.’ At 65, I’d rather be at home, being more responsible, doing other things that I need to do.” In October 2025, Fayose reiterated that he had no desire to return to public office after decades in politics, stating, “I’ve served well. Two-time governor, I’ve done well. Tomorrow will hold itself.”

Fayose also reflected on his years in office and the physical toll his political battles took on him. He admitted that losing political control of Ekiti after leaving office was a painful experience and that he fought hard during the political contest that followed. The former governor disclosed that the spinal problem he currently lives with was a consequence of the political events surrounding the 2018 Ekiti governorship election. “I wasn’t happy that the state was taken from me. I wasn’t happy at all. I fought. I was equally injured. All the problem I had with my spine was as a result of that election,” he said. Fayose has previously revealed that the injury to his spine resulted from an attack on him during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election, when policemen surrounded the Ekiti State Government House in an attempt to prevent him from attending a governorship rally. This necessitated two major surgical operations—one on his neck in February 2022 and another on his back in July 2022.

Despite his refusal to join the APC, Fayose has continued to support Governor Oyebanji’s administration, describing it as a positive development for Ekiti State. He noted that the passage of time had changed his outlook, and that Oyebanji’s leadership has brought stability and progress to the state. “But today, God who sees tomorrow has produced you for me,” Fayose said. His support for the governor has extended to public endorsements. In June 2026, Fayose reaffirmed his support for Oyebanji ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election, stating that he would not support the PDP candidate because of the faction that produced the party’s candidate. He also described Oyebanji as a leader who has united Ekiti across political divides, contrasting the present atmosphere with periods when political rivalry among leading figures created tension and division in the state. Fayose also revealed that he had no regrets supporting President Tinubu, describing him as a kinsman with capacity. He recalled informing Tinubu of “sinister moves” within the APC during Buhari’s presidency and noted that he had always been open about his admiration for Tinubu. “When your kinsman wants to be president and he has capacity, what should you do? You should fight him? You should throw him under the bus? I have been like this,” Fayose said in a previous interview.

Fayose was recently appointed Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) by President Tinubu. The appointment marked a shift from his earlier public position that he would not take up any role under the APC-led administration. Upon assuming the role, Fayose pledged to deploy his new office to attract electricity projects to rural communities in Ekiti State and across Nigeria. Speaking on the 2027 general elections, Fayose assessed the current state of opposition politics, declaring that Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, remains the only opposition figure with significant national traction capable of challenging the ruling APC.