Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu could have secured victory for the All Progressives Congress in the August 15 Osun State governorship election had he chosen to deploy the political influence of the Federal Government.
Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party who has continued to support the Tinubu administration, said he would have personally supported efforts to ensure an APC victory if the President had wanted to win the election “at all costs.”
The minister made the statement on Tuesday while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja.
Wike said the outcome of the election demonstrated that the Federal Government did not interfere with the poll or deploy its political machinery to influence the result in favour of the APC.
He said, “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.”
According to him, the absence of what he described as “Federal might” in the election allowed the electorate to determine the outcome.
“There was no Federal might used in Osun. When you see the force and might of the Federal Government, you will know,” Wike said.
The former Rivers State governor also dismissed the political strength of Governor Ademola Adeleke, saying the governor could not have resisted the Federal Government had it decided to deploy its full political influence in the election.
Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, was declared the winner after polling 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, won in 11 LGAs.
Wike further claimed that Adeleke could have been an APC member if political circumstances had developed differently.
“Ordinarily, Adeleke would have been with APC if things had worked out well,” he said.
The minister’s comments came amid continuing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Wike maintaining his support for Tinubu despite remaining a member of the PDP.
Wike also predicted that the 2027 presidential election would be easier for Tinubu than the 2023 contest.
“The 2027 elections will be the easiest one for the President compared to 2023,” he said.
He attributed his prediction to what he described as the weakened state of the opposition, saying the parties had lost much of their political strength and organisational capacity.
“This time around, the opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather,” Wike added.
His remarks are expected to fuel further debate within the opposition over the impact of political defections, alliances and the growing realignment of politicians ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Osun election itself had been closely watched as a test of the strength of the APC and the opposition in the South-West, with the final result handing Adeleke a second consecutive electoral victory in the state.
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