Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has said President Bola Tinubu did not deploy the powers of the Federal Government to influence the outcome of the recent Osun State governorship election.
Speaking on TVC News on Tuesday, Fayose said Tinubu’s approach showed Nigerians that an “election of our dreams” is possible when the Federal Government allows the electoral process to run without interference.
Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Accord candidate, defeated APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji and ADC candidate Najeem Salaam in the August 15 election. Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji secured 444,815 and Salaam received 17,180 votes. Adeleke won 19 LGAs, with Oyebamiji taking the remaining 11.
Fayose’s comments followed FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s claim that he would have helped Tinubu win Osun for the APC if the president wanted victory “at all costs”. ADC chieftain Dele Momodu subsequently criticised Wike, saying he should stop “playing God”.
Fayose said that if the Federal Government had wanted to take the Osun election for the APC, there would have been little anyone could do to stop it.
“If the federal government wants to take an election, they will take it,” Fayose said.
He compared the Osun election with his experience during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election, when he was the sitting governor but was backing his then deputy, Kolapo Olushola, who contested for the PDP.
Fayose alleged that the Buhari administration used “federal might” against him during that election, claiming that his security details were withdrawn days before the poll and that communication signals at the Government House were blocked.
“Ekiti was taken from me in 2018 by all means possible,” he said.
According to Fayose, three days before the election, he could no longer communicate normally because the Government House was allegedly jammed. He said his security details were taken to the police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, leaving him with only an orderly.
Fayose also alleged that former DSS Director-General Lawal Daura coordinated the efforts surrounding the 2018 election.
“That is when you are talking about federal might,” Fayose said.
He recalled that images and videos of him wearing a cervical brace and appearing emotional during the 2018 election period went viral after he alleged that mobile policemen had slapped and beaten him and shot at him.
Fayose said the circumstances surrounding the recent Osun election were different, arguing that similar actions did not occur in Ede during the poll.
He praised Tinubu for what he described as a more “magnanimous” approach to elections, saying the president had not used the powers of his office to silence critics despite frequent attacks against him on social media.
“We have to thank God for this president for showing that it is possible to have an election of our dreams,” Fayose said.
He noted that Tinubu appointed the INEC chairman, Inspector-General of Police and Army Chief, arguing that the combination of those institutions could significantly influence an election if the government decided to deploy them.
Fayose, who is now chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) board, said Tinubu’s body language suggests that the president wants democracy to thrive in Nigeria.
In the 2018 Ekiti election, Fayose was not on the ballot but supported Olushola, his former deputy governor and PDP candidate. APC candidate Kayode Fayemi won with 197,459 votes, while Olushola came second with 178,121 votes.
Fayemi had resigned as Minister of Mines and Steel Development under the Buhari administration to contest the governorship election.
Source: TVC News
