Osun Election: Wike Says APC Would Have Won If Tinubu Used Federal Power

The FCT Minister claims President Bola Tinubu deliberately allowed the Osun governorship election to proceed without federal interference, arguing that the result could have been different if the government had deployed its full political machinery.


Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) could have defeated Governor Ademola Adeleke in the recent Osun State governorship election if President Bola Tinubu had chosen to deploy the influence of the Federal Government.

Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but has continued to support the Tinubu administration, made the remarks on Tuesday while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja.

According to the former Rivers State governor, the election was allowed to proceed without what he described as “federal might” being used to influence the outcome.

“If the president had wanted to win the Osun state election at all costs, I would have been involved and I would have been there and the governor would have known that it would have been different,” Wike said.

‘No Federal Might Was Used’

Wike insisted that the outcome of the election showed that the Federal Government did not interfere to secure victory for 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 comments come after Adeleke, the incumbent governor, emerged victorious in the August 15 election.

Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, winning 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes and won the remaining 11 LGAs.

Wike Says Adeleke Could Have Been In APC

The FCT minister also suggested that Adeleke might have ended up in the APC if political circumstances had been different.

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

His comments add another dimension to the political debate surrounding Adeleke’s victory and the role of federal influence in Nigerian elections.

‘2027 Will Be Easier For Tinubu’

Looking ahead to the 2027 presidential election, Wike predicted that President Tinubu would face a less difficult contest than he did in 2023.

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

Wike attributed his prediction to what he described as the weakened position of opposition parties.

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

Despite his continued membership of the PDP, Wike has remained one of the prominent opposition figures openly backing President Tinubu and his administration.