Aug 5, 2026

Eleka Fires Back at Fayose: Sponsorship Never Means Ownership of My Conscience

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in politics

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Ado-Ekiti, August 5, 2026 — In a measured but firm response, former Ekiti State Deputy Governor Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka has rejected a remark by his one-time political mentor, former Governor Ayodele Fayose, who claimed that if Eleka had won the 2018 governorship election, he “would have repaid me with evil.”

The comment was made by Fayose during the recent commissioning of the Ayodele Fayose Lodge at the Government House complex in Ado-Ekiti by the administration of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji.

The event formed part of Oyebanji’s broader programme of naming new government facilities after past leaders as a mark of recognition for their service to the state.

Eleka’s detailed statement, titled “Legacy Is Not Ownership,” acknowledges Fayose’s historic role in his political rise while drawing a sharp distinction between gratitude and ownership.

“The issue before the people of Ekiti is not whether Mr. Fayose supported Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka. History clearly records that he did,” the response states.

“The real issue is whether political sponsorship should be interpreted as permanent ownership of another leader’s conscience, judgment, or constitutional responsibility.

In every constitutional democracy, the answer must be an unequivocal no.”

A Shared Political History Under Scrutiny

Fayose appointed Eleka, then a relatively unknown academic, as his deputy governor in 2014 and later presented him as the preferred Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2018 governorship election.

That contest was ultimately won by Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The relationship between the two men later became strained, particularly around the 2022 governorship and senatorial contests, when public exchanges revealed mutual disappointment.

In the new statement, Eleka notes that no one can speak with certainty about how he would have governed because he never occupied the governor’s office.

“To pronounce judgment on actions that never occurred is to replace evidence with speculation and history with hypothesis,” the response argues.

It further stresses that public office, once conferred by the people, belongs to the citizens and that every governor swears allegiance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not to an individual.

The statement describes independence in office as “the inevitable responsibility that accompanies every constitutional office,” not an act of rebellion or ingratitude.

“A leader can remain grateful to those who supported his emergence while exercising independent judgment in the discharge of public responsibilities. Gratitude and constitutional responsibility are not opposing virtues.”

Call for Maturity and Facts Over Speculation

Eleka’s camp highlights his record as deputy governor, describing him as a disciplined scholar and refined administrator known for humility and civility.

It also points out that after the 2018 election he continued to engage in the democratic process with dignity.

The response uses the occasion of the project commissioning — an event meant to celebrate service and continuity — to urge a higher standard of political discourse in Ekiti, popularly known as the “Fountain of Knowledge.”

It calls for reason over resentment and evidence over conjecture, arguing that true mentors are remembered for producing leaders capable of independent judgment rather than for seeking permanent control over their successors.

“Legacy is not ownership,” the statement concludes. “Legacy is the enduring influence of character, vision, integrity, and principle — an influence that empowers others to serve freely, faithfully, and honourably.”

The exchange comes against the backdrop of Governor Oyebanji’s deliberate efforts to foster inclusiveness by honouring former governors across party lines.

Fayose himself has publicly praised Oyebanji’s unifying leadership style in recent comments.

Whether the latest remarks reopen old wounds or remain a one-off political exchange will depend on how both men and the wider Ekiti political class choose to respond in the coming days.