Fayose Credits Tinubu's Restraint in Osun Election, Recalls 2018 Ekiti Loss

Ayodele Fayose, the former Ekiti State governor, has characterized President Bola Tinubu's approach to the August 15 Osun State governorship election as measured and restrained. Speaking on TVC News, Fayose suggested that the federal government possessed the capacity to determine the election's outcome but elected not to exercise that power.

He framed this as evidence of what he described as Tinubu's generous bearing during the contest. Fayose drew a direct comparison to his own political experience, asserting that federal authorities had actively intervened to disadvantage him during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election.

He detailed security-related obstacles he encountered during that campaign, using it as a baseline for judging Tinubu's conduct in the Osun race. The former governor spent time across Osun State before and during the August 15 election, moving through commercial areas and residential communities to assess voter sentiment directly.

Based on these interactions, Fayose characterized the contest as tightly competitive and suggested the result could have shifted in either direction. He emphasized that Governor Ademola Adeleke's eventual victory should not overshadow how narrow the margin genuinely was.

Fayose also directed criticism at violence that occurred during the polling process, without specifying incidents. He noted that Ede, a major city in the state, played a decisive role in Adeleke's second-term win.

His public comments positioned him as an experienced observer with ground-level insight into the election's dynamics, derived from his personal presence in Osogbo and surrounding areas throughout the voting period.