Wike: If Tinubu wanted to win at all costs, I would have helped

The Federal Capital Territory’s Minister, Nyesom Wike, has noted that he could have assisted President Bola Tinubu to win the gubernatorial polls in Osun State on August 15 if the President “wanted to win the polls at all cost” as the head of the All Progressives Congress party.

Wike, who is still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, pointed out that Tinubu purposely decided to conduct the polls without resorting to the power of the Federal Government to swing the polls in favor of the APC.

This was revealed by Wike on Tuesday during his inspection of areas prone to flooding in Maitama, Abuja.

He said he would have supported the President if he had decided to use his political influence to ensure an APC victory.

“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,” Wike said.

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord, was declared the winner after securing victory in 19 of the 30 local government areas in the state.

Adeleke of the Accord won the election with 511,067 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the APC, who secured 444,815 votes and Najeem Salaam of the ADC, who polled 17,180 votes.

Wike, speaking on the outcome of the election, said it demonstrated that the Federal Government did not deploy its influence to manipulate the election in favour of the ruling party.

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“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 minister also suggested that Adeleke could have been a member of the APC if certain political circumstances had turned out differently.

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

Wike, a former Rivers State governor who has continued to support Tinubu despite his membership of the opposition PDP, also predicted that the President would face a less difficult contest in the 2027 presidential election.

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

He attributed his prediction to what he described as the weakened state of the opposition parties.

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