I would have helped Tinubu win Osun – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stated that he could have aided President Bola Tinubu's success in the Osun State governorship election held on August 15, had the President wished for such assistance. Wike, who is a member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), mentioned that Tinubu intentionally refrained from employing the federal government's influence to sway the election outcome in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The FCT minister made these remarks on Tuesday while touring flood-prone regions in Maitama, Abuja. He expressed his willingness to support the President if he had chosen to leverage his political clout to secure an APC victory. "If the President had desired to win the Osun State election at any cost, I would have been there, and we would have won it, and there's nothing the governor can do," Wike declared.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, representing the Accord party, emerged victorious after winning in 19 out of the 30 local government areas in the state. Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, surpassing his nearest competitor, Bola Oyebamiji from the APC, who received 444,815 votes, and Najeem Salaam of the ADC, who garnered 17,180 votes.

Wike commented on the election results, asserting that the federal government did not utilize its influence to manipulate the election in favor of the ruling party. In response to Oyebamiji's congratulatory call to Adeleke, Wike criticized the attack on Adeleke's supporters. The minister also suggested that Adeleke might have joined the APC under different political circumstances.

"Ordinarily, Adeleke would have been with the APC if things had worked out well," Wike remarked. Wike, a former Governor of Rivers State who continues to back Tinubu despite his opposition party affiliation, further predicted that the President would face a comparatively easier campaign in the 2027 presidential election. He attributed this prediction to the weakened state of opposition parties, stating, "The opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather" in his view.