Emmanuel Fayose, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti state, has criticised his elder brother and former governor, Ayodele Fayose, for endorsing the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Biodun Oyebanji ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
At a mega rally in Ado Ekiti on Monday, Ayodele Fayose publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Oyebanji, backing them for second terms in office, despite donning a PDP-branded fez cap at the event.
Reacting in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, Emmanuel Fayose described the former governor’s action as a “total betrayal” of the PDP.
He said: “I urge Ayodele Fayose to leave the PDP if he has nothing to contribute to the repositioning of the party and restoring it to its pride of place, rather than ridiculing himself in the public space.
“My elder brother, former Governor Ayo Fayose, benefited immensely from the PDP and governed the state twice on the party’s platform. His recent endorsement of Governor Oyebanji amounts to a total betrayal of the PDP.”
The younger Fayose also expressed disappointment over the role played by other past governors in the endorsement, describing the event as a “charade”.
“While acknowledging that the former governor has the right to take any political stance he deems fit, I am utterly disgusted that he had to drag the PDP into his show of shame
“How could someone who benefited so greatly from the PDP now be seen undermining the same party in such a brazen and shameful manner? This does not reflect the Fayose ethos of Omoluabi in any way,” he added.
Describing the rally as a “show of shame”, the PDP aspirant said the turnout, despite the presence of defectors and a rented crowd, was “far less than 10,000 people out of Ekiti’s three million population,” which, he argued, “clearly shows the people are tired of the APC administration in the state.”
He also accused the APC of violating Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regulations on political campaigns and called on the commission to impose appropriate sanctions.
“No one or party should be above the law,” he said.
