Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, boasted that President Bola Tinubu could have secured victory for the All Progressives Congress in the recent Osun governorship election if the president wanted it “at all costs.”
The minister, who is a member of a faction of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, said Tinubu deliberately allowed last Saturday’s election to hold without interference from the Federal Government.
Wike stated this while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday.
According to him, if the President had chosen to deploy his political influence to guarantee an APC victory, he would have backed the effort.
“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 boasted.
Incumbent Governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, was declared winner of the August 15 election after securing victory in 19 of the 30 LGAs, while the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, won the remaining 11.
Wike said the result of the Osun election was evidence that the Federal Government did not use its influence to manipulate the election in favour of the APC.
“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 FCT Minister added that Governor Adeleke’s political alignment could have been different if circumstances within the APC had worked out differently.
“Ordinarily, Adeleke would have been with APC if things had worked out well,” he said.
Wike, who has maintained his support for Tinubu despite remaining in the opposition PDP, also predicted an easier presidential contest for the President in 2027 than the election he faced in 2023.
“The 2027 elections will be the easiest one for the President compared to 2023,” he said.
The former Rivers state governor attributed his prediction to what he described as the weakened condition of the opposition parties.
“This time around, the opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather,” Wike added.
Wike has continued to support the President Tinubu-led administration despite remaining a member of the opposition PDP.
