Fayose said President Tinubu could have influenced the outcome of the election if he had wanted victory at all costs.
Speaking during an interview on TVC News, the former governor, however, alleged that the Federal Government used its powers against him during the 2018 Ekiti State governorship election.
His comments followed claims by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the All Progressives Congress, APC, could have won the Osun election if President Tinubu had been determined to secure victory at all costs.
The incumbent governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, won the Osun governorship election with 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
Adeleke won in 19 of the state's 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11.
Fayose said the closeness of the contest showed that the election could have gone either way, but praised Adeleke and urged him to be magnanimous in victory.
He argued that the outcome showed that the Federal Government had not deployed the level of influence and security presence he claimed were used against him during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election.
“The only thing I heard towards the election was the Federal Government will take it by force. The Federal Government has come to do this,” Fayose said.
“I want to say to you, if the Federal Government wants to take an election, they will take it. If the Federal Government, the ones I know of the past, if they want to take an election, there’s nothing you can do.”
Comparing the Osun election with the 2018 Ekiti poll, Fayose alleged that the circumstances surrounding both elections were markedly different.
“Let me give you an instance. Ekiti was taken from me in 2018. By all means possible. Those features did not play out in Ede,” he said.
Fayose alleged that the Government House in Ado Ekiti was surrounded by security operatives three days before the election and claimed that his security details were withdrawn.
“Three days before my election, the Government House was jammed. You can’t talk to anyone on the phone. All my security details, from whatever name you call it, were taken to police headquarters in Ado Ekiti, and I was left on the field for three days.
“That is when you are talking of federal might,” he alleged.
The former governor further claimed that he was prevented from leaving the Government House to participate in a campaign march involving thousands of his supporters.
He alleged that he was assaulted by security personnel after insisting that he would leave the premises.
“Beyond that, three days to the election, I wanted to do a march with over 60,000 followers. I was stopped by the security personnel,” Fayose said.
“I told them I was the governor of this state. An inspector told me, ‘Governor my foot,’ and they prevented me from coming out of the Government House.
“I said I was going to come out at all costs, and to that day, they hit me with the butt of a gun and I went down. My deputy at the time had the same experience,” he alleged.
Fayose said the incident left him with injuries that required medical attention.
“That was why I had the collar on my neck at the time. I had four surgeries, four procedures because of that incident alone,” he said.
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