Wike Says Tinubu Could Have Helped APC Win Osun If He Wanted

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has stirred fresh political debate after saying the All Progressives Congress could have won the recent Osun State governorship election if President Bola Tinubu had wanted to secure victory “at all costs.”

Wike made the comments on Tuesday, August 18, while speaking to journalists during an inspection of flood-prone areas in Abuja.

According to the minister, the Federal Government deliberately refrained from deploying what is commonly described in Nigerian politics as “federal might” during the August 15 election.

Wike said that if Tinubu had decided that the APC must win the election at all costs, he would have personally gone to Osun to help deliver the result.

“If the President wanted to win Osun State election at all cost, I would have been there and we will win it.”

Wike Says No Federal Might Was Used

The FCT minister insisted that the outcome of the Osun election demonstrated that the Federal Government did not interfere with the process to guarantee an APC victory.

“There was no Federal might used in Osun,” Wike said, adding that people who had experienced federal influence in previous elections would understand what such intervention looked like.

His comments come after opposition figures and political commentators debated whether the APC's defeat represented a rejection of the ruling party or simply the outcome of a competitive state-level election.

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, secured 511,067 votes, winning 19 of Osun's 30 local government areas. APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes and won the remaining 11 LGAs.

Adeleke therefore won the election by 66,252 votes.

Wike Says Adeleke Could Have Been in APC

Wike also offered an interesting assessment of Adeleke's political history.

The minister said the Osun governor could ordinarily have been a member of the APC if political circumstances had developed differently.

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

The comment adds another layer to the post-election political discussion, particularly because Adeleke previously contested under the Peoples Democratic Party before switching to the Accord platform for the 2026 election.

Dele Momodu Fires Back

Wike's comments have already attracted a sharp response from Dele Momodu, a former presidential candidate and current African Democratic Congress figure.

Momodu took to X to challenge Wike's suggestion that he could have delivered Osun for the APC.

Responding to a report about Wike's comments, Momodu wrote that “Osun people would have demystified you mercilessly”, adding: “Adeleke is not Fubara!!”

Momodu's response appears to reference Wike's long-running political conflict with former Rivers State governor Siminalayi Fubara.

He also urged the FCT minister not to compare his political influence with the will of voters.

The “Federal Might” Debate Returns

Wike's comments have reopened one of the most sensitive discussions surrounding Nigerian elections: the extent to which federal political power can influence state-level elections.

The phrase “federal might” has historically been used by politicians and commentators to describe the influence that a sitting federal government can potentially exercise through political structures, security agencies, appointments and other mechanisms.

Wike himself referred to his experience during the 2019 Rivers State election, saying those who had experienced federal influence in previous elections would recognise the difference.

He argued that the situation in Osun was different because, in his assessment, the Federal Government allowed the electoral process to proceed without deploying its full political machinery.

Wike Says 2027 Will Be Easier for Tinubu

The FCT minister also used the discussion to make a prediction about the 2027 presidential election.

Wike said he believes the next presidential election will be easier for Tinubu than the 2023 contest.

He attributed this to what he described as a weakened and divided opposition.

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

He described the opposition as “crippled” and argued that a presidential election is fundamentally different from an off-cycle governorship election because national contests involve different political calculations.

What People Are Saying

Wike's comments have generated strong reactions across Nigerian political circles and social media.

One of the most prominent responses so far has come from Dele Momodu, who directly challenged Wike's claim and argued that Osun voters would have resisted any attempt to impose an outcome on them.

The discussion has also centred on Wike's own political history. Some commentators are pointing to his experience in Rivers State and his long-running argument that political influence alone cannot replace genuine grassroots support.

Others are interpreting his remarks as an unusually candid admission that the Federal Government possesses significant political influence that could have affected the Osun result had it been deployed.

There is also a lighter layer of online reaction, with political users debating whether Wike's statement was meant as praise for Tinubu's decision to allow the election to proceed freely or as a warning about what could happen if the Federal Government chooses to deploy its full political machinery in future elections.

However, these interpretations are opinions rather than established facts. Wike's actual claim was that the Federal Government did not deploy its full influence and that an APC victory could have been achieved had the President wanted it.

What the Statement Means for 2027

Wike's comments could become significant as Nigerian political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 general elections.

The former Rivers governor remains a member of the PDP but has consistently expressed support for Tinubu and his administration.

His latest remarks suggest that he believes Tinubu enters the next presidential contest from a position of considerable political strength.

The opposition, meanwhile, faces the challenge of building a credible coalition capable of competing nationally rather than relying solely on individual state-level victories.

The Osun result has demonstrated that the APC can still be defeated in a competitive state election, but Wike argues that the dynamics of a presidential election will be different.

The Bigger Question

Beyond the political personalities involved, Wike's statement raises a broader question about Nigerian democracy.

If a senior government minister says an election could have been won through the deployment of federal political influence, Nigerians will naturally ask what that influence consists of and how it relates to the independence of electoral institutions.

At the same time, Wike's comments were presented as an argument that the Federal Government did not use such influence in Osun — not as an admission that the election was manipulated.

The official result remains that Adeleke defeated Oyebamiji and secured another term as governor.

For now, Wike's remarks have added a new political dimension to an election that ended only days ago, while the debate over what the Osun result means for Tinubu, the APC and the 2027 presidential race is likely to continue.

Sources

• Channels Television — report on Wike's claim that APC would have won Osun if federal influence had been deployed.

• TheCable — report on Wike's comments and his assessment of the Osun result and 2027.

• TVC News — Wike's comments on federal influence and the Osun election.

• Daily Trust — report on Wike saying he would have been in Osun if Tinubu wanted an APC victory.

• The Sun Nigeria — Wike's comments that Tinubu allowed the Osun election to remain free and fair.

• The Nigeria Lawyer — Dele Momodu's response to Wike on X.