Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would have defeated Governor Ademola Adeleke in the Osun State governorship election if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had deployed the full political machinery of the Federal Government.
Wike made the claim while reacting to the outcome of the August 15 governorship election, which saw Adeleke, the Accord candidate, emerge victorious.
According to the former Rivers State governor, Tinubu could have assigned him to Osun if the President was determined to secure victory for the APC.
“If the President wanted to win Osun State election at all cost, I would have been there and we will win it, and there’s nothing the governor can do,” Wike said.
He further argued that the Federal Government deliberately refrained from deploying its political influence in the state.
“There was no Federal might used in Osun. When you see the force and might of the Federal Government, you will know,” he said.
Wike’s comments suggest that the APC’s defeat was not necessarily a reflection of the party’s inability to win the state, but rather the level of federal political involvement in the election.
The APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, polled 444,815 votes, finishing behind Adeleke, who secured 511,067 votes. Adeleke won in 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji prevailed in 11, giving the governor a margin of 66,252 votes.
Wike also suggested that Adeleke could have belonged to the APC under different political circumstances.
“Ordinarily, Adeleke would have been with APC if things had worked out well,” he said.
Despite the APC’s setback in Osun, Wike expressed confidence in Tinubu’s prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing the contest as potentially easier for the President than the 2023 election.
“2027 elections will be the easiest one for the President compared to 2023,” Wike said.
He added that the opposition had been weakened ahead of the election, saying, “This time around, opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather.”
