The younger Fayose says his brother is too politically significant for the role and should hand the appointment to his son
Isaac Fayose, younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, has urged the former governor to reject his appointment as chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) board and hand the position to his son, arguing that the former governor is too politically significant for the role.
Also read: Isaac Fayose says Obi never appreciated his campaign support
Isaac Fayose made the call in a video shared on his Instagram page on Monday, shortly after the Presidency announced Ayodele Fayose’s appointment alongside 25 other nominees to the leadership of 10 federal agencies and commissions.
Under the appointments announced by the Presidency, Fayose is expected to chair the REA board alongside Ahmadu Abubakar and Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as non-executive directors.
The agency’s Director-General, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three executive directors were also retained.
But Isaac Fayose questioned whether the appointment matched his brother’s political stature, contrasting the chairmanship with positions such as ministerial or ambassadorial appointments.
“They said they gave my brother a DG, DG, not a minister, not ambassador,” he said.
He added, “They said they gave him DG, head of parastatal, chairman of a committee. They no see give him minister, they no give him ambassador.”
Isaac Fayose further compared the appointment with that of former presidential aide Reno Omokri, who was recently appointed an ambassador, asking why his brother had been offered the chairmanship of a federal parastatal instead.
“So why just chairman of a parastatal?” he asked.
The younger Fayose also linked the timing of the appointment to a recent visit by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who visited him at his home on Saturday.
Isaac Fayose suggested that the visit may have influenced the decision to appoint his brother, saying, “They gave my brother DG because Obi came on Saturday to visit me. So they said, no, we must enter that family.”
The remarks came amid renewed political conversations around the 2027 presidential election and Isaac Fayose’s own positioning within the opposition movement.
During Obi’s visit, Isaac Fayose reportedly described the former presidential candidate as Nigeria’s “incoming president”, despite having earlier threatened to withdraw his support.
Obi, in response, reportedly urged his supporters not to be distracted by online criticism directed at Isaac Fayose, saying many of those attacking him were not genuine supporters of the movement.
Isaac Fayose, however, used the latest appointment to recall his brother’s long-standing claim that he had no intention of pursuing federal appointments after leaving office as Ekiti governor.
According to Isaac, the former governor had previously told him that he would return to private business rather than seek positions such as minister, director-general or senator.
“But my brother told me, Ayodele Peter Fayose, told me, ‘Isaac, when I’m leaving this government house, whenever I leave this government house, I will not be a minister, I will not be DG, I will not be senator, I will not be anything. I will face my business,'” he said.
Isaac Fayose also stressed his brother’s financial independence, claiming that Ayodele Fayose had built significant wealth before entering public office and had continued to do well in private business.
He described the REA appointment as a “Greek gift” and questioned why the former governor had only been offered the role after Obi’s visit.
“Why didn’t they give you appointment since? Why did they wait till Obi come?” he asked.
Despite his criticism, Isaac Fayose congratulated his brother and suggested that the former governor could transfer the opportunity to his son.
“Congrats on your appointment. You better give your son. Please, don’t use that kind of appointment.
You are too big for that. Afobaje ni e,” he said, using a Yoruba expression that loosely translates to “you are a kingmaker.”
The remarks add a personal and political dimension to the Presidency’s latest round of federal appointments, with Isaac Fayose presenting the REA chairmanship not as a welcome opportunity but as a role beneath his brother’s perceived political standing.
Beyond the appointment, Isaac Fayose used the video to reaffirm his confidence in the opposition’s prospects ahead of the 2027 general election.
He claimed that the opposition could secure 62 per cent of the total vote in a free, fair and credible election, while dismissing concerns about possible electoral manipulation.
“I’m not scared,” he said. “They’re scared of what they don’t know.”
Ayodele Fayose, a two-term former governor of Ekiti State and a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party, has remained an influential voice in Nigerian politics since leaving office.
His latest appointment to the REA board now places him in a federal government role, even as his younger brother publicly questions whether the position adequately reflects his political stature.
For Isaac Fayose, however, the issue appears to extend beyond the appointment itself.
Also read: Isaac Fayose urges Seyi Makinde to reconcile with Ayo Fayose
His comments reflect the continuing political realignment ahead of 2027, the renewed attention surrounding Peter Obi’s political movement and the question of where established political figures such as his brother fit into Nigeria’s evolving political landscape.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
