Why Nothing Could Have Stopped It If FG Wanted Osun — Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has asserted that the Federal Government possessed the power to seize the August 15 Osun governorship election by force if it had any intention of subverting the process.

However, Fayose maintained that the ballot was intensely competitive and could have swung either way, emphasizing that the ultimate result should not overshadow how closely contested the poll truly was.

During an appearance on TVC News to review the election that secured Governor Ademola Adeleke a second term, Fayose revealed that he personally spent time on the ground in Osun before and during the vote, walking through local markets and communities to gauge public sentiment instead of depending entirely on forecasts.

He noted that these direct encounters persuaded him that the race was too tight for anyone to predict with absolute certainty. “When you have an election that is 52, 48, it could go either way,” Fayose stated, drawing a distinction between a neck-and-neck battle and a scenario where a single contender holds a massive advantage.

He explained that his field observations did not indicate an inevitable win for Adeleke beforehand. According to Fayose, the defining element was how votes were geographically distributed, highlighting Ede as the bedrock of the Adeleke family’s political influence.

He estimated Adeleke’s overall winning margin at roughly 66,000 votes, with approximately 46,000 of those originating from Ede alone.

“Everybody, all permutations pointed to, would not be a surprise when you get such figures from Ede,” he observed, acknowledging the area’s history of unwavering loyalty.

The remainder of the margin was scattered across other regions like Ilesa and Osogbo, making the final picture more intricate than a glance at the total gap would suggest.

Fayose strongly condemned the pockets of violence and fatalities that marred the exercise, calling them an uncalled-for blemish on an otherwise fiercely contested race. “But what greeted the election towards the end was unfortunate violence, desperation, and killings that were mostly unnecessary,” he remarked.

While conceding Adeleke’s triumph, Fayose urged the governor and his camp to display maturity, treat the outcome as a mandate to unite the entire state, and reach out to all political factions.

“Be magnanimous in victory. The language now must be right. Reconciliation must be total,” Fayose insisted, adding that Adeleke should embrace stakeholders across Osun regardless of party lines because the state belongs to everyone.

The former governor also addressed the broader discussion regarding federal influence in elections, noting that a ruling government can dictate outcomes if it is firmly resolved to do so. “The federal government has come to do this. I want to say to you, if the federal government wants to take an election, they will take it. If they want to take it, there’s nothing you can do”, he noted.

This perspective arose amid ongoing arguments over whether the center permitted a fair playing field. Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike previously credited President Bola Tinubu for allowing the Osun contest to remain transparent.

Responding to Wike’s stance, Fayose expressed agreement while reiterating his congratulations to Adeleke and stressing that leadership now requires pulling the state together rather than gloating over rivals.