Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has commended President Bola Tinubu for allowing the will of voters to prevail in the August 15 Osun State governorship election, contrasting the poll with what he described as the deployment of “federal might” against him during the 2018 Ekiti election.
Fayose said Tinubu’s handling of the Osun election demonstrated that credible and competitive elections were possible in Nigeria.
Speaking on TVC News on Tuesday, the former governor said the Federal Government had the capacity to influence the outcome of the election if it had chosen to do so.
“If the federal government wants to take an election, they will take it,” Fayose said.
He, however, noted that the level of federal pressure he allegedly experienced during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election was absent in Osun.
The Osun election was won by Accord Party candidate, Ademola Adeleke, who polled 511,067 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes. The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third with 17,180 votes.
Fayose praised Tinubu for what he described as a “magnanimous” approach to the conduct of elections under his administration.
“We have to thank God for this president for showing that it is possible to have an election of our dreams,” he said.
“Tinubu appointed INEC chairman, IGP, and army chief. Don’t tell me that that combination will not take any election if they want to take it.”
The former governor then recalled his experience during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election, alleging that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari deployed federal institutions against him.
“Ekiti was taken from me in 2018 by all means possible,” Fayose said.
He alleged that his security personnel were withdrawn shortly before the election and that communication around the Government House was disrupted.
“All my security details were taken to the police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti. I was left with an orderly. That is when you are talking about federal might,” he said.
Fayose also alleged that the then Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura, was involved in events surrounding the election.
In the 2018 poll, Fayose supported his deputy, Kolapo Olusola, who contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Olusola lost to the APC candidate, Kayode Fayemi, who secured 197,459 votes against Olusola’s 178,121 votes.
Fayose maintained that Tinubu’s conduct during the Osun election reflected a willingness to allow democratic competition to thrive.
According to him, the President’s body language suggested that he wanted Nigeria’s democracy to succeed.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
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