ABUJA, Nigeria — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has said he would have helped the All Progressives Congress (APC) secure victory in the Osun State governorship election if President Bola Tinubu had wanted the party to win “at all costs.”
Wike made the statement on Tuesday while speaking to journalists during an inspection of flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja. Okay News reports.
The minister was reacting to the outcome of the election, which was won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Wike, who remains a member of the PDP despite his support for the Tinubu administration, said the APC could have won the poll if the President had been determined to secure victory regardless of the circumstances.
“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,” he said.
The comment followed the APC’s defeat in the election, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaring Adeleke the winner.
Wike, a former Rivers State governor, was among the G5 governors who opposed the PDP’s presidential candidate during the 2023 general election.
Since his appointment as FCT minister by Tinubu, Wike has retained his PDP membership while publicly backing the President and several policies of his administration.
He has repeatedly maintained that his support for Tinubu does not amount to leaving the PDP, while remaining active in national politics.
