Aug 5, 2026

ADC Ekiti Blasts Fayose Over Selfish Call for Special Care

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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ADO-EKITI, Nigeria — The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Ekiti State Chapter has strongly condemned former Governor Ayodele Fayose for demanding that the state government provide special “care” and strengthened welfare packages for himself and other former governors.

In a strongly worded press release dated August 5, 2026, and signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Rt. Hon. Olugboyega Aribisogan, the ADC described Fayose’s comments as provocative, greedy, selfish, and “grossly insensitive” to the realities facing ordinary Ekiti people.

The statement came against the backdrop of Fayose’s remarks during the recent commissioning of the Ayodele Fayose Lodge at the Government House Complex in Ado-Ekiti by Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

At the event, the former governor urged the administration to improve welfare packages for ex-governors, arguing that those who had “paid their dues” deserved continued recognition and care, including better medical support.

ADC’s Sharp Rebuke

The ADC argued that Fayose’s demand is particularly tone-deaf at a time when many pensioners remain owed gratuities, public hospitals lack basic drugs and equipment, students are dropping out of school due to economic hardship, and ordinary citizens struggle to afford a decent meal.

“It is morally reprehensible for political elites to be asking for more benefits for themselves,” the party stated. “This demand is shameless. It is an act of greed and selfishness from someone who has already enjoyed huge severance packages, pensions, and privileges at the expense of taxpayers.”

The party contrasted the privileges enjoyed by former governors—who typically served four or eight years—with the plight of retired civil servants, teachers, nurses, and local government workers who served for decades and now face poverty in old age.

“There are hundreds of retired civil servants… who served this state for 35 years and are now dying in poverty. They deserve government ‘care’ more than Fayose and others,” the statement read.

Call for Prioritisation and Reform

The ADC called on the people of Ekiti to reject the demand entirely and urged Governor Oyebanji to prioritise the welfare of workers, pensioners, farmers, and vulnerable groups rather than expanding benefits for former office holders.

It also specifically appealed to the Ekiti State House of Assembly to review and repeal the “jumbo” pension law that grants lifetime pensions and other privileges to former governors and their deputies.

The party emphasised that true leadership is defined by service and sacrifice, not by continued extraction of public resources after leaving office.

Broader Context

Fayose’s comments and the subsequent ADC reaction highlight ongoing tensions in Nigerian politics over the scale of benefits accorded to former state chief executives, especially in states still grappling with salary and pension arrears.

While Governor Oyebanji’s administration has made efforts to clear some gratuity backlogs and maintain regular pension payments, public discontent over elite privileges remains a sensitive issue.

As political alignments continue to shift in Ekiti ahead of future elections, the exchange underscores a familiar fault line: the gap between the expectations of political elites and the daily struggles of ordinary citizens.

The ADC has positioned itself as a voice for the latter, insisting that available resources must first serve those who carried the state for decades rather than those who already reaped substantial rewards from public office.