Fayose Urged to Concede Tinubu’s Appointment to Loyal Ally, Bisi Kolawole

By Emmanuel Adeniran 

A journalist in Ekiti State, Emmanuel Adeniran, has urged former Governor Ayodele Fayose to relinquish his recent federal appointment in favour of his long-time political ally, Mr. Bisi Kolawole.

Adeniran made the call following remarks by Fayose at the commissioning of a legacy project named in his honour by Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji on Monday, August 3, 2026.

At the event, Fayose had commended Kolawole, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate against Oyebanji in the 2022 election, for his unwavering loyalty. The former governor also criticized his former deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola Eleka, who was the PDP flag bearer after his second term in 2018, saying that if Eleka had emerged governor, he would have repaid him with evil.

It will be recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Fayose a few weeks ago as Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), a federal electricity parastatal charged with tackling Nigeria’s long-standing power challenges.

The appointment has generated mixed reactions. 

Among those who commented was Fayose’s younger brother, Isaac Fayose, who urged him to decline the position, arguing that the former governor deserved a more strategic role. Isaac had suggested that his brother should nominate his son, Rogba Fayose, for the job.

Other commentators on social media also advised the former governor to nominate one of his loyal supporters for the appointment.

In view of his recent public praise for Kolawole’s loyalty, Adeniran said the most fitting gesture would be for Fayose to concede the federal appointment to his most loyal political ally.

Emmanuel Adeniran, a human rights activist and online journalist, writes from Ekiti State