‘I Will Never Be In APC Despite My Support For Tinubu’ – Fayose

Fayose Vows ‘Never’ to Join APC Despite Open Support for Tinubu – PDP Crisis Deepens as Governors Eye Exit

In a stunning rebuke to Nigeria’s swirling defection frenzy, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has drawn a firm line in the sand, declaring he’ll never cross over to the All Progressives Congress (APC) even as he unabashedly backs President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.

Fayose defection, PDP crisis, APC support, Tinubu backing, Peter Obi opposition—these scorching search terms are exploding online as Fayose’s explosive interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on October 15, 2025, lays bare the PDP’s internal meltdown. The outspoken chieftain, speaking amid a torrent of high-profile exits like those of Enugu’s Peter Mbah and Bayelsa’s Douye Diri just days earlier, made it crystal clear: His admiration for Tinubu is personal and zonal, not partisan. “I am not a member of the APC and I will never be,” Fayose asserted. “I didn’t hide my support for Asiwaju; I consider him a leader in Nigeria and particularly from our zone.” At 65, post his two gubernatorial terms, Fayose revealed he’d even turned down a federal appointment offer from Tinubu, opting instead for family time and low-key pursuits.

Fayose’s stance isn’t born in a vacuum. As a PDP stalwart since the party’s 1999 inception, he’s weathered scandals—from his 2018 money laundering conviction to EFCC probes—but emerged as a vocal critic of his own party’s frailties. He pinned the PDP’s woes squarely on “selfish” governors whose ambitions have gutted its structure, insisting Tinubu bears no blame for the hemorrhage. “The PDP’s problem did not start today,” he said, hinting that the handful of remaining PDP governors are “seriously considering” jumping ship, though he named no names. This comes hot on the heels of Mbah’s October 14 defection, which Fayose dismissed as inevitable fallout from PDP infighting, not federal arm-twisting.

Historically, Fayose’s trajectory mirrors Nigeria’s cutthroat politics. Elected Ekiti governor in 2014 on the PDP ticket after a bruising legal battle, he championed infrastructure like the Ado-Ekiti flyover and agricultural hubs, per state records showing a 20% GDP boost during his tenure. Yet, his brash style—clashing with then-President Muhammadu Buhari and even Jonathan loyalists—earned him the “stormy petrel” moniker. In 2023, he quietly backed Tinubu over Atiku Abubakar, his party’s candidate, citing South-West solidarity, a move that irked PDP hawks but aligned with his pragmatic streak.

The fallout has been electric, splitting Nigerians down familiar fault lines. On X, APC die-hards crowed, with one user posting, “Fayose gets it—Tinubu’s unstoppable, PDP’s toast!” Obidients, Peter Obi’s fervent base, smell a rat: “Fayose’s just Wike 2.0—praising Obi while propping Tinubu,” vented @DavidGODsHeart, referencing Fayose’s nod to Obi as the “only opposition with traction.” PDP remnants rallied behind him as a rare loyalist, but skeptics like @evanschocho jabbed, “He’s laughing at PDP on TV, then hyping Obi to divide us.” Experts chime in too: Dr. Remi Aiyede, a political scientist at the University of Lagos, told Arise TV that Fayose’s hybrid loyalty “exposes PDP’s elite capture—governors defect for perks, but voices like his keep the embers alive.” Civil society watchdogs like BudgIT warn that such fluidity erodes democratic depth, citing INEC data showing PDP’s vote share plummeting from 44% in 2019 to under 30% in 2023.

For average Nigerians, Fayose’s words cut through the noise of daily grind. Politically, they signal a PDP on life support, potentially handing Tinubu’s APC a stranglehold ahead of 2027—meaning fewer checks on policies like subsidy removal that’s jacked fuel prices to ₦700 per liter, per NNPC figures. Economically, in Fayose’s Yoruba heartland and beyond, this could stall opposition-led probes into oil theft or fiscal federalism, hitting remittances and small businesses hard; World Bank reports peg Nigeria’s poverty rate at 40%, with South-West states like Ekiti bearing 25% youth joblessness. Lifestyle hits home too: Heightened partisanship amps insecurity fears, from banditry in the North to cult clashes in the South, while tech users on platforms like X face echo chambers that deepen tribal rifts—Fayose’s own feed blends PDP pleas with Tinubu shoutouts, confusing algorithms and users alike. Sports fans? Ekiti’s football academies, once Fayose-funded, now languish under state budget squeezes, mirroring national Super Eagles woes.

Folks tuning into this saga aren’t just rubbernecking—they’re hunting reassurance in chaos, wondering if loyalty like Fayose’s can salvage a multi-party dream or if it’s all theater. Smart coverage? We lean on raw footage from Channels TV, fact-check defection tallies via INEC archives, and skip the gossip to spotlight what matters: Can the PDP rebound, or is Obi’s star the last flicker?

Fayose didn’t mince words on the opposition vacuum either, crowning Peter Obi as the sole figure with “traction” to rattle Tinubu—yet insisting no coalition can topple the APC juggernaut. “Peter Obi is the only opposition in Nigeria; people don’t listen to Atiku, others anymore,” he quipped, a backhanded boost that’s got Obidients buzzing and APC strategists smirking.

To map the PDP’s great exodus, check this timeline of recent jolts:

As Fayose hunkers down in PDP trenches while toasting Tinubu from afar, his gambit spotlights a democracy at the brink—will it spark revival or just more musical chairs? With 2027’s shadows lengthening, Nigerians watch warily, betting on grit over gimmicks to rewrite the script.

By Sam Michael

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