By Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre
Shame on Fayose!
The Oga has no shame at all!
Is he like the proverbial dog that returned to its vomit?
With all his gragra, political swagger and loud declarations, he has still condescended to accept an appointment from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
No wonder there has been so much pakurumo-pakurumo between him and President Tinubu!
He has no shame, abi?
Good.
My brother, let us now calm down and ask a simple question:
Shame on Fayose for what exactly?
For accepting an invitation to serve Nigeria?
For being considered worthy of contributing his experience to a national institution?
Or for refusing to allow yesterday’s political disagreement to become a permanent obstacle to national service?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed former Ekiti State Governor, His Excellency Ayodele Fayose, as Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency—REA.
The appointment was announced by the Presidency on July 21, 2026, as part of 26 appointments into 10 federal agencies and commissions.
Since the announcement, critics have resurrected an earlier statement credited to Fayose that he would rather remain at home than accept an appointment to work under an APC-led administration.
They are now shouting:
“Fayose said he would never work for the APC!”
“Fayose has contradicted himself!”
“Fayose has eaten his words!”
But before anyone begins to beat the drum of ridicule, let us apply logic, fairness and a proper understanding of government.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a leading member of the All Progressives Congress. He contested and won the presidential election on the platform of the APC.
But he is not functioning merely as an APC party officer.
He is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
His constitutional responsibilities extend beyond APC members, APC governors, APC-controlled states and communities that voted for his party.
He is President of every Nigerian, including members of the PDP, Labour Party, NNPP, APGA and citizens who belong to no political party whatsoever.
The appointment offered to Fayose did not come from the National Chairman of the APC.
It was not an appointment to serve at the APC National Secretariat.
Fayose was not appointed chairman of an APC campaign committee, reconciliation committee or membership mobilisation council.
He was appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to chair the board of a federal institution belonging to Nigeria.
That distinction is fundamental.
The Rural Electrification Agency is not an agency of the APC.
Its offices are not owned by the APC.
Its workers are not paid from APC membership dues.
Its projects are not intended exclusively for communities controlled by the APC.
Its responsibility is to provide and facilitate access to electricity for underserved and unserved Nigerian communities, irrespective of political affiliation.
Therefore, serving as Chairman of the Board of the REA is not the same as working as an official of the APC.
Fayose has been appointed to serve Nigeria, not the APC.
It is possible to work under a President elected on the platform of a political party without becoming an employee, officer or member of that party.
A judge appointed by an APC President does not become an APC judge.
A professor appointed to a federal committee does not become an APC academic.
A traditional ruler serving on a national council does not become an APC monarch.
A technocrat appointed to the board of a federal agency does not automatically receive an APC membership card.
Why, therefore, should Fayose’s appointment be interpreted differently?
Life is not static.
We live in a dynamic world in which times, circumstances, responsibilities and relationships change.
The statement now being circulated was made many months before this appointment.
It was not made yesterday.
It was not made on the morning the appointment was announced.
Many waters have passed under the bridge.
The circumstances under which Fayose declared that he would not work under an APC-led administration may no longer be the circumstances confronting him today.
Perhaps the statement arose from political disappointment.
Perhaps it was made during a period of partisan disagreement.
Perhaps it was a reaction to a particular situation.
Perhaps it was nothing more than temporary political “beef.”
Whatever the circumstances were, must one statement made during a political disagreement become an eternal covenant?
Must a person be permanently imprisoned by every political declaration he has ever made?
That would make no sense.
There is no logic in arguing that once a Nigerian has said, during a period of political disagreement, that he would not work under an administration led by a particular party, he must reject every future opportunity to serve his country.
What sense would that make?
Must Nigeria be denied the service of a qualified citizen simply because, at an earlier moment of political tension, personal disappointment or partisan disagreement, he made a statement reflecting the circumstances of that period?
Suppose the nation later requires his knowledge, experience, contacts, courage or administrative capacity.
Should he refuse to serve merely because some political spectators are waiting to accuse him of inconsistency?
Should Nigeria lose merely so that critics can praise him for remaining faithful to an old quarrel?
That would be the triumph of ego over patriotism.
A statement made in the heat of political rivalry, frustration or temporary disagreement should not become a permanent barrier to national service.
Mature people review their positions.
Responsible leaders reconsider earlier decisions.
Statesmen rise above personal grievances when the greater interest of their country demands it.
The relevant question is not merely whether Fayose once said he would not accept an appointment under an APC-led government.
The more important questions are:
Does Nigeria require his service?
Is he competent to undertake the assignment?
Can his experience add value to the Rural Electrification Agency?
Is he prepared to discharge the responsibility faithfully and in the national interest?
Where the answers are positive, it would be senseless for him to reject the appointment merely to satisfy those who prefer rigid political posturing to national progress.
Indeed, there would be greater shame in rejecting an opportunity to serve millions of Nigerians simply because of an old political quarrel.
Nigeria is greater than the APC.
Nigeria is greater than the PDP.
Nigeria is greater than Ayodele Fayose.
Nigeria is also greater than every personal statement made under temporary political circumstances.
When the nation calls upon a qualified citizen, patriotism may require that such a person set aside yesterday’s political disagreement and answer that call.
That is not betrayal.
That is maturity.
That is national service.
CHANGING ONE’S POSITION IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY HYPOCRISY
Consistency is a virtue, but consistency must not be confused with stubbornness.
There is nothing admirable about remaining permanently attached to a position that has been overtaken by events merely because one is afraid of what critics will say.
Human beings change their views.
Governments change their policies.
Political parties enter alliances with former opponents.
Nations reconcile after conflicts.
Leaders who once criticised one another later work together when the national interest demands cooperation.
The world would make no progress if everyone were forbidden from reviewing an earlier position.
Of course, Fayose may reasonably be asked to explain what changed between the time he made the statement and the time he accepted the appointment.
Public figures should be accountable for their words.
But asking him to explain is different from declaring him unworthy of national service.
An explanation may be desirable.
Permanent political imprisonment is not.
CROSS-PARTY NATIONAL SERVICE IS NOT STRANGE
In established democracies, competence is sometimes allowed to rise above party boundaries.
In the United States, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, retained Robert Gates, who had served as Secretary of Defense under Republican President George W. Bush.
Gates continued to serve his country across two administrations led by different political parties because national responsibility was considered more important than partisan labels.
Such appointments do not necessarily mean that the appointee has abandoned his political beliefs.
They may simply mean that a government recognises that national talent is not located within only one political party.
Nigeria should encourage this culture.
A nation of more than 200 million people should not limit its pool of competent citizens to the membership register of the ruling party.
When elections are over, governance must begin.
Political parties contest elections, but governments are expected to serve everyone.
The debate should now move away from social-media mockery to the more important question:
Can Fayose perform the assignment?
He is a former governor with substantial executive and administrative experience.
He has supervised government institutions, participated in national political affairs and dealt with the challenges of public administration.
Whether one admires or dislikes his political style, it would be unreasonable to pretend that he possesses no relevant experience.
The chairmanship of a federal agency’s board requires leadership, oversight, policy guidance, accountability and the capacity to ensure that management remains faithful to the institution’s mandate.
Fayose should therefore be judged by what he does with the appointment.
Will he help the agency extend electricity to neglected rural communities?
Will he insist on transparency and accountability?
Will he ensure that projects are distributed according to need rather than party affiliation?
Will he protect public funds?
Will he bring urgency, courage and practical leadership to the agency?
Those are the questions that matter.
Fayose has not been appointed National Chairman of the APC.
He has not been appointed to campaign for the APC.
He has not been asked to organise rallies, recruit members or attack opposition parties.
He has been appointed Chairman of the Board of a Nigerian agency.
He will be serving under a President produced by the APC, but he will be serving the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Critics are entitled to remind him of his earlier statement.
That is legitimate public scrutiny.
But it is intellectually dishonest to conclude that accepting a federal appointment automatically makes him an APC member or proves that he has betrayed his political convictions.
Let his performance speak.
If he fails, criticise him.
If he mismanages the responsibility, expose him.
If he turns the agency into a partisan platform, condemn him.
If he compromises the public interest, hold him accountable.
But do not condemn a Nigerian merely because the President of Nigeria has asked him to serve Nigeria.
We must stop allowing emotion, partisan bitterness and social-media mockery to replace rational thinking.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Fayose accepting the appointment.
The most important thing is not the party platform of the President who appointed him.
The most important thing is whether Fayose will serve diligently, transparently and patriotically.
Will rural Nigerians benefit from his leadership?
Will communities that have remained in darkness receive electricity?
Will the agency become more effective under his watch?
Will he justify the confidence placed in him?
Those should be our concerns.
I believe he has the experience, courage and administrative exposure to make a meaningful contribution.
I also believe that he will serve diligently.
He must now prove it through performance.
Shame on Fayose?
No.
The real shame would be for Nigeria to reject experience, competence and possible value merely to preserve an old political quarrel.
The real shame would be to reduce every national appointment to the narrow arithmetic of party membership.
The real shame would be to insist that yesterday’s political “beef” must be allowed to obstruct today’s opportunity for national service.
Nigeria must always be greater than that.
God bless Ayodele Fayose.
God bless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
