FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has said President Bola Tinubu could have secured victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent Osun governorship election if he had chosen to use the full influence of the federal government.
Wike made the comment on Tuesday while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja.
According to him, the Osun election was allowed to proceed without federal interference, arguing that Adeleke could not have defeated the APC if Tinubu had decided to deploy his political influence to secure victory for the party.
“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,” Wike said.
Ademola Adeleke, the Accord candidate, won the August 15 election after securing victory in 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji won 11.
Wike said the outcome demonstrated that the federal government did not deploy its political power to manipulate the election in favour of the APC.
He also suggested that Adeleke could have been a member of the APC if certain political circumstances had worked out differently.
The FCT minister, who remains a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but has continued to support Tinubu, predicted that the president would face an easier presidential election in 2027 than he did in 2023.
Wike attributed his prediction to what he described as a weakened and divided opposition, saying the opposition parties had been left without the strength needed to challenge Tinubu.
