Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has stated that, despite his affection for President Bola Tinubu, he “will never” accept an offer of a ministerial position.
Tinubu has yet to name his cabinet ministers despite having been in government for six weeks.
There has been substantial discussion about the likely nomination of members of the Peoples Democratic Party who are seen as crucial to his election as president.
Fayose, who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, expressed his support for the President, saying, “I didn’t start to work for Asiwaju today,” though he is a longstanding member of the opposition.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart argued that his show of solidarity with Tinubu, one of the powerbrokers of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was “not for party politics but for my belief in his person”.
“Let me tell you, I am not looking for a position,” he added.
Asked if he would accept a hypothetical ministerial job offer from Tinubu, the former governor said, “I will never take it.”
He explained that “many of us who have reached the age of 70, almost 65 and above” should be asked to “go and bring our children, our grown-up children, well educated”.
Fayose is 62 years old.
“Already, their future has been stolen. The future of these young people has been stolen. They have run over their time with our time,” he added.
“Let me tell you very straightforward, if the future is for these young people, Asiwaju, to my own view — and I shared this with him and I say it again — it should be 40 percent for oldies like us, 30 percent for women, 30 percent for young people.”
According to him, a majority of the older generation of politicians has had a taste of government “more than three, four, five times”.