It’s Now Difficult To Rig Elections – Fayose

Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has said it is now difficult to rig an election.

Fayose said this when he featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today, on Tuesday.

Like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Fayose is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) working for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He is also the second known PDP chieftain with an appointment under the APC administration.

Some months ago, Tinubu named Fayose Chairman of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Board.

Speaking on Channels Television, Fayose said, “Politics is not a tea party. Asiwaju (referring to Tinubu) will have 12 million votes. Go and write it down. You know to rig election is now difficult. Very very difficult.”

On the controversy over the Rainbow Coalition convened by Wike, Fayose said Wike and the APC governors were backing Tinubu in different ways.

Wike and APC governors have been locking horns over the coalition, with the governors vowing not to support any alliance or political arrangement capable of weakening the APC or creating competing interests within the ruling party.

Wike had fired back at the governors, saying his target was making President Bola Tinubu secure a second term, and not to assist them win their states.

But Fayose said what mattered was whether the coalition could deliver votes for the president, particularly in Rivers State.

“I sincerely don’t want to join issues on these two sides. These are issues of simply everybody exercising their interest in the system. And everything I tell you again, is not about an NDC having an incursion as a result of what they are doing or ADC. No.”

“If Rainbow works for Wike in Rivers, and it can bring results, that’s all the president wants.

“If Rainbow works and can give him numbers, you understand? So be it. The government says in our state, after all, Wike will not come to their states. Wike will not come there and vote.

“He will not come there and form a coalition rainbow. And don’t let us deceive ourselves. Even in Nigeria. It’s only that rainbow is in a particular state. Where the handler says, I can handle the rainbow. If the rainbow is to carry everybody along, guarantee everybody’s interest, ensure that, okay, if rainbow produces this, produces that, he will get this, you will get that.

“As a man, who could flip an election, for a governorship candidate of people, and the PDP also could. If they have the capacity, and that they have done it, then he has capacity to do it in some states. The question is that, has he gone to any other state, to preach rainbow? No.”

Fayose said the disagreement between Wike and the APC governors should not be interpreted as a threat to Tinubu’s re-election.

“Everything works together for good, for the president. Without controversy, you can’t get far. Controversy in itself will help the election.”

“This controversy has nothing to do with the winning of the president. In fact, it makes it much better. Nigerians know who Wike is and the institution, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and they are both saying different things in different ways.

“Nigerian Governors’ Forum say we are not doing coalition, Wike says do what you have to do in your state. Whatever you feel comfortable with. If you are comfortable without a coalition, go ahead.

“The method that works for A might not work for B. And this is not even playing to the hands of the opposition, because the two of them are united behind the president. And don’t forget, these are men of strength in our country.

“You should expect this. The moment there is interest, power struggle, interest, you should expect all this. This has taken nothing out of the system.

“That is the truth. This has taken nothing out of the system. So in my understanding, they all say the same thing in different ways.

“But don’t forget, everybody has his own ego. Every one of us, including myself.”