“I stay off PDP. In party politics, there are certain facts you must be able to speak. I am 62 and I can’t, at this age, begin lying. When something is wrong with your family, confess. I’m retiring from active politics to become an elderly statesman,” Fayose said.
Fayose was a presidential hopeful for the PDP but lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the party's primary election. Atiku subsequently lost the presidential election to Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, after polling 6,984,520 votes to come second behind the winner who polled 8,794,726 votes.
Fayose's decision to leave PDP has further heightened tensions within the party, which has been beset by leadership crises and defections in recent times. Many within the party had seen Fayose as a strong voice and a rallying point for opposition politics in Nigeria.
As one of the most vocal critics of the Buhari administration, Fayose's exit from PDP is expected to have far-reaching implications for the political landscape of Nigeria. It remains to be seen what his next move will be, and whether he will align himself with another political party or form a new one.