Isaac Fayose urges ex-governor brother to reject REA appointment

Isaac Fayose, younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, has urged the former governor to decline his appointment as Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), arguing that the position does not reflect his political standing.

Isaac made the remarks in a video shared on his Instagram page on Monday, shortly after the Presidency announced Ayodele Fayose’s appointment as part of a new set of board appointments into federal agencies and commissions.

President Bola Tinubu, through a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, named Fayose chairman of the REA board alongside other non-executive directors, while the agency’s Director-General, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and executive management were retained.

Reacting to the development, Isaac said his elder brother deserved a more prominent national role, insisting that the REA chairmanship was beneath his political profile.

He noted that positions such as minister or ambassador would have been more appropriate, questioning why the former governor was offered the chairmanship of a federal agency instead.

Isaac also linked the appointment to the recent visit of the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to his residence, suggesting the timing was not coincidental.

According to him, the appointment came shortly after Obi’s visit, during which he had publicly described the former Anambra State governor as Nigeria’s “incoming president.”

The businessman recalled that Ayodele Fayose had previously told him he had no intention of accepting political appointments after completing his tenure as governor, preferring instead to concentrate on his private business interests.

He added that his brother had built substantial wealth before entering politics and had remained financially successful outside public office.

Describing the appointment as a “Greek gift,” Isaac questioned why it was only being offered now, years after his brother left office.

Despite congratulating the former governor, he advised him to reject the appointment or allow his son to take up the opportunity instead.

“You are too big for that position,” he said, describing his brother as a political kingmaker whose influence extends beyond the leadership of a federal agency.

Isaac also reiterated his confidence in the opposition’s prospects ahead of the 2027 general election, expressing optimism that a free and credible poll would produce a change in government.