“I Helped Tinubu Become President” — Fayemi Admits Role in 2023 Victory, Says APC Has Lost Direction

Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has admitted that he played a role in helping President Bola Tinubu secure victory in the 2023 presidential election, while also expressing concern that the ruling All Progressives Congress has strayed from the ideals upon which it was founded.

Fayemi made the remarks during an interview on the State Affairs podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, where he spoke extensively about the current state of Nigerian politics, internal tensions within the APC, and the changing dynamics of the country’s electoral landscape.

Reflecting on the 2023 general election, the former governor described the emergence of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as a major political phenomenon that disrupted Nigeria’s traditional political structure and calculations.

According to Fayemi, Obi’s popularity revealed a growing dissatisfaction among many Nigerians, particularly young people, with the country’s conventional political system.

“I helped Tinubu to become president, but the APC has lost its bearing, and Peter Obi is a phenomenon,” Fayemi stated during the interview.

The former minister acknowledged his involvement in the political processes that led to Tinubu’s emergence as president but lamented that the APC had gradually drifted away from the democratic and progressive values that inspired its formation.

Fayemi, who is regarded as one of the founding figures of the APC, said the party now faces serious internal challenges that must be addressed if it hopes to retain credibility among Nigerians.

He criticised what he described as the increasing lack of internal democracy within the party and warned against the growing culture of imposition and consensus arrangements during party primaries.

According to him, transparent and competitive primary elections are necessary for strengthening democracy and rebuilding confidence in political institutions.

The former Ekiti governor also raised concerns about Nigeria’s political structure, arguing that the country cannot continue to operate a winner-takes-all system that sidelines large segments of the population after elections.

He stressed the need for more inclusive governance that accommodates different political interests, ethnic groups, and regions across the country.

Fayemi further renewed calls for the restructuring of Nigeria’s federal system, insisting that genuine federalism remains critical to addressing many of the nation’s governance and development challenges.

His comments come amid increasing internal disagreements within the APC, with several party leaders openly expressing dissatisfaction over the direction of the ruling party ahead of future elections.

The remarks are also likely to intensify ongoing political debates surrounding the performance of the Tinubu administration, the future of the APC, and the growing influence of opposition figures such as Peter Obi in Nigeria’s evolving political space.