Isaac Fayose Decries Being Left Alone by Supported Politicians

Isaac Fayose, the younger sibling of former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, has voiced profound disappointment over being forsaken by political figures he previously championed in various elections. He expressed feeling like "a lonely voice in the wilderness" after years of personal commitment and financial backing for individuals who subsequently turned their backs on him. The businessman shared these sentiments in a video posted to his Instagram page on Friday, speaking in a combination of Pidgin English and Yoruba.

"Nigeria is a bad country. Very bad. I’m now like an orphan. I’m now like a lonely voice in the wilderness," he lamented.

Fayose recalled his difficult experience from 2018 when he stood in solidarity with his brother during the latter's encounter with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He highlighted his personal confrontation with Ibrahim Magu, then the acting EFCC chairman, over the issue.

“I struggled with my brother. No, no, no, no, we won’t agree. I even followed him to EFCC. We shouted, ‘Magu, Ole! Magu, Ole!’ Magu said, ‘Who is this boy calling me Ole? They should go and look for anything to rope him,” he narrated.

Ayo Fayose was formally charged by the EFCC in 2018 on allegations of fraud connected to his gubernatorial tenure, later securing bail. He was succeeded that October by Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the state's governorship election.

Isaac expressed sorrow that the legal issue continues to haunt him in court to this day, even as his brother's child is slated to be sworn in as a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

“Up till today, they still rope me into a matter that I am still going to court for. That my brother now has taken an appointment. His child is about to be a member of the House of Assembly in Ekiti. I’m now on my own, facing my problem. They said, ‘We told you, Isaac, keep quiet, keep quiet.’ You didn’t listen,” he revealed.

He also detailed the personal costs of his political involvement, including cutting short his mourning period to respond to a plea for assistance ahead of Ekiti’s 2026 governorship election.

“What a pity. See Ekiti. I went to bury my wife. Where I was, Oluyede called me. He said, ‘Please, please, let’s take our state back.’ I see how people are suffering. I said no, I was coming. I quickly buried my wife and hurriedly ran home. I got home, spent my money, did everything, election eve,” he recounted.

He was referring to Wole Oluyede, the PDP governorship candidate for the June 20, 2026 Ekiti election. Oluyede’s path to the polls has been turbulent; his November 2025 primary win was nullified by a Federal High Court, and INEC later excluded his name from its candidate lists due to the PDP’s national leadership crisis, although his camp is pursuing legal action to mandate his inclusion. Oluyede is running against the incumbent, Biodun Oyebanji of the APC, who is seeking a second term. Isaac stated that this associate has since distanced himself from him.

“They were calling me, ‘Oga is here, Oga wants to talk.’ Oluyede has not come to greet me since that time. He has gone back to the President. And even the governor that I was fighting, they are taking pictures together. They are now friends,” he lamented.

Isaac further referenced Osun State’s gubernatorial politics, recalling both the 2022 election and the more recent one held on August 15, 2026.

“Look at Osun, 2022. I nearly removed my head,” he said, emphasizing the severe personal toll his involvement took that year when Ademola Adeleke first secured the governorship on the PDP platform, defeating the then-incumbent, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.

He mentioned being drawn into Governor Adeleke’s re-election bid this time as well, despite being in Australia when he received the call.

“This time too, as I was in Australia, the governor of Osun called me, Governor Adeleke. He said, ‘Isaac, we need you on board the election.’ I put everything on my head. We won’t agree, we won’t agree,” he explained.

Adeleke, who has since defected from the PDP to the Accord Party, was declared the winner of the August 15 election by INEC, polling 511,067 votes to defeat the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, who garnered 444,815 votes. Isaac claimed that shortly after his victory, the governor traveled to Abuja to present his certificate of return to President Bola Tinubu, an action he viewed as a betrayal of the loyalty he had demonstrated during the campaign.

“Six days after, the governor is in Abuja, showing his certificate, his return certificate, to the President. It’s like I’m alone. What a pity,” he expressed.

Drawing a comparison with other public reconciliations, he cited the public reunion between music star Davido and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

“Davido that we were shouting, he and Wike are now hugging each other. Everybody is now smiling with each other together,” he observed. Isaac revealed that he had rejected cash and a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon offered to him during previous elections, emphasizing that his interest was not personal gain.