Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has said the Federal Government was capable of taking the August 15 Osun governorship election by force if it wanted to manipulate the process.
Fayose said the election was closely contested and could have gone either way.
He noted that the final outcome should not obscure the competitiveness of the poll.
The former governor spoke in an interview with TVC News while assessing the election that saw Governor Ademola Adeleke secure a second term.
Fayose, who said he was in Osogbo throughout the election, explained that he visited markets and communities across the state to understand the mood of voters ahead of the poll.
He said his interactions with residents suggested that the election would be closely contested, noting that the result could have gone either way.
He said: “I was in Osogbo. One, because you gain more experience when you are part of a system.”
While explaining his reason for being in the state, Fayose said he wanted to get information directly from ordinary residents about the election.
He said: “I was in Osogbo firstly to have an information about how that election was going to go with the ordinary folks. I was in a number of market communities. I was in Ilesa. I was in a couple of communities, and I listened to them. So I knew, very clearly, that the outcome, ordinarily, may not be far from what it is.”
When asked if he knew Governor Ademola Adeleke would win, Fayose said the closeness of the contest meant either candidate could have emerged victorious.
He said: “Well, the outcome may not be far from what it is. When you have an election that is 52, 48, it could go either way.”
Fayose contrasted that with an election where one candidate has a much wider lead, saying, “If you have an election that is 30, 70, that you don’t, you can declare what will happen.”
He expressed concern about violence and killings recorded around the election, describing them as unnecessary.
Fayose said: “But what greeted the election towards the end was unfortunate violence, desperation, and killings that were mostly unnecessary.”
He maintained that the election was closely contested and said the result should be examined beyond simply declaring a winner and a loser.
He said: “So let me say to you, the election, ordinarily because of the closeness, in my perception, could go either way.”
Fayose said the final margin was 66,000 votes and argued that a significant portion of the difference came from Ede, the home base of the Adeleke family.
He said: “That election was won by 66,000 votes. 46 of that 40, of the 66,000 votes came from Ede, which is the stronghold of the Adelekes.”
According to him, the result from Ede was not unexpected because of the area’s support for the Adeleke family.
He said: “Everybody, all permutations pointed to, would not be a surprise when you get such figures from Ede. But I didn’t, personally I didn’t look out for a 46,000 out of 66, you understand? It’s all been a known fact that Ede is the base of the Adelekes.”
The former governor also weighed in on the debate over the role of the Federal Government in the election.
He said political control of electoral processes could determine outcomes if the government in power was determined to impose its will.
“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 said.
