I would have helped Tinubu win Osun — Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said he could have helped President Bola Tinubu secure victory for the All Progressives Congress in the August 15 governorship election in Osun State if the President had wanted to win the poll “at all costs.”

 

Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, said Tinubu deliberately allowed the election to take place without deploying the influence of the Federal Government to sway the outcome in favour of the APC.

 

The FCT minister stated this on Tuesday while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja.

 

He said he would have supported the President if he had decided to use his political influence to secure an APC victory.

 

“If the President had wanted to win the Osun State election at all costs, I would have been there, and we would have won it, and there’s nothing the governor can do,” Wike said.

 

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, was declared the winner after securing victory in 19 of the 30 local government areas in the state.

 

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who secured 444,815 votes. Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress came third with 17,180 votes.

 

Commenting on the outcome, Wike said the election demonstrated that the Federal Government did not deploy its influence to manipulate the process in favour of the ruling party.

 

“There was no federal might used in Osun. When you see the force and might of the Federal Government, you will know,” he said.

 

The minister also suggested that Adeleke could have been a member of the APC if certain political circumstances had been different.

 

“Ordinarily, Adeleke would have been with the APC if things had worked out well,” Wike said.

 

Wike, a former Rivers State governor who has continued to support Tinubu despite remaining a member of the opposition PDP, also predicted that the President would face a less difficult contest in the 2027 presidential election.

 

“The 2027 elections will be the easier one for the President compared to 2023,” he said.

 

He attributed his prediction to what he described as the weakened state of the opposition parties.

 

“This time around, the opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather,” Wike added.