Fayose, Other PDP Chieftains Given Appointments by Tinubu, List Emerges
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has absorbed several senior PDP figures into key roles in his administration since taking office in 2023
- The list includes a former governor turned FCT minister, two ambassadors, and a newly appointed agency chairman who once vowed he would never accept any offer from Tinubu
- One of the appointees has since declared he remains a card-carrying PDP member despite serving under an APC-led government
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Shortly after President Bola Tinubu's victory in the 2023 elections, there were speculations that he was planning to form a government of national unity by appointing some opposition politicians.
Tinubu, a longtime chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), would later say he was more interested in forming a government of "national competence".
Source: Twitter
Nevertheless, the president's choice of appointees since his inauguration appears to have lent credence to the earlier speculations.
Starting with the appointment of former Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), President Tinubu has brought several prominent members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into his administration.
Legit.ng highlights four of them:
1) Nyesom Wike - FCT minister
Wike, who refused to support the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 elections due to an internal crisis in the party, later admitted that he worked for Tinubu.
He was eventually rewarded with a ministerial appointment.
Today, Wike is considered by many PDP stalwarts as the party's national leader.
Source: Facebook
2) Ayo Fayose - Rural Electrification Agency boss
President Tinubu on Monday, July 20, 2026, approved the appointment of 26 individuals into the boards and management of 10 federal government agencies and commissions, with former Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, named Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
The appointments, which take immediate effect, were announced in a statement issued by the presidency.
As chairman of the REA board, Fayose will work alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Mallam Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta, who were appointed as non-executive directors. The agency’s director-general, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and the three serving executive directors complete the board.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the former governor of Ekiti state, Fayose, once said he would reject Tinubu's ministerial nomination if considered. He said this during the live telecast of Channels TV's late-night programme, Sunday Politics, in Abuja on Sunday, July 9, 2023.
During the interview, Fayose disclosed that he worked against the presidential candidate of the PDP, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in favour of President Tinubu.
He, however, noted that his reason for supporting Tinubu was not to lobby for a political appointment but solely because he believed in him.
When asked if he would accept a ministerial offer from President Tinubu, Fayose said, “I will never accept it,” Daily Trust reported.
He had said:
“I never worked for PDP during the last election. There’s no reason to hide that… The reality is that I worked for Asiwaju (Tinubu). He is a respectable person from the South-West. It is the turn of the South.”
Source: Twitter
3) Okezie Victor Ikpeazu - Ambassador to Spain
In November 2025, President Tinubu appointed Ikpeazu as Nigeria's Ambassador to Spain.
Ikpeazu has officially commenced his diplomatic mission after presenting copies of his Letters of Credence (Copie d’Usage) to the Spanish government.
The ceremony took place at the Spanish ministry of foreign affairs in Madrid, where the director-general for Protocol, Chancery and Orders, Adrián Martín Couce, received the Nigerian envoy on behalf of the Kingdom of Spain.
The presentation of copies of the Letters of Credence is a longstanding diplomatic tradition that formally notifies the host government of an ambassador’s appointment. It also authorises the ambassador-designate to begin official diplomatic engagements pending the formal presentation of the original Letters of Credence to the Head of State.
4) Reno Omokri - Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico
In November 2025, President Tinubu nominated Reno Omokri as an ambassador.
On Thursday, December 19, 2025, Omokri's appointment was confirmed by the Nigerian Senate. On Friday, March 6, 2026, President Tinubu appointed Reno Omokri as Nigeria's ambassador to Mexico.
In May 2026, Omokri said he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite working for the APC-led government of President Tinubu.
Omokri said this in a social media post while reflecting on his political journey.
The former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan recalled being a member of the PDP as a 24-year-old at the return of democracy in 1999.
The Sun quoted Omokri as saying:
“And for the past twenty-seven years, I have NEVER changed parties.”
Omokri added that he has remained loyal to the party for ideological reasons – one Indivisible Nigeria and free trade, as well as privatisation and devolution of powers.
Read more on President Bola Tinubu
- Primate Ayodele releases prophecy on top Tinubu's appointee who may soon be sacked
- President Tinubu to finally sign 4 tax reform bills into law, 'groundbreaking'
Tinubu outlines second-term priorities
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that as Nigerians look forward to the 2027 elections, President Tinubu said his administration will focus on resolving key political issues in the country during his second term, while prioritising the economy and national security as immediate concerns.
The Nigerian leader stated that economic stability and security remain central to his government’s survival strategy, stressing that both issues are currently the administration’s top priorities.
The president alleged that individuals opposed to his policies and programmes were behind some of the country’s security challenges.
Source: Legit.ng
