Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has praised President Bola Tinubu for allowing the Osun State governorship election to proceed without the alleged use of federal power to influence the outcome.
Fayose said Tinubu could have used the influence of the Federal Government to help the All Progressives Congress (APC) secure victory but chose not to interfere with the electoral process.
Speaking on TVC News on Tuesday, the former governor contrasted the conduct of the Osun election with his experience during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election, which was won by the APC candidate, Kayode Fayemi.
Fayose recalled that, ahead of the 2018 election, his security personnel were withdrawn and communication facilities at the Ekiti State Government House were allegedly disrupted.
“Ekiti was taken from me in 2018 by all means possible,” he said, adding that three days before the election, the Government House was allegedly jammed, making it difficult to communicate with others.
He also claimed that his security details were taken to the police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, leaving him with only an orderly.
According to Fayose, such actions demonstrated the extent to which federal authorities could deploy state power during an election.
He further alleged that former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura, played a key role in coordinating security operations during the 2018 Ekiti election.
However, Fayose said the situation was different under Tinubu, whom he commended for what he described as a more tolerant approach to opposition politicians and electoral contests.
He noted that despite strong criticism of the President on social media and from political opponents, Tinubu had not responded by using security agencies to intimidate or arrest his critics.
Fayose said Tinubu’s appointments of the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force and the military gave the Federal Government significant influence over the electoral process.
“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,” he said.
He added that the outcome of the Osun election demonstrated that federal power was not necessarily used to determine the winner.
His comments followed the victory of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke in the Osun governorship election. Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, received 17,180 votes.
