Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said President Bola Tinubu could have secured victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the August 15 Osun State governorship election if he had chosen to deploy the Federal Government’s influence.

Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Tinubu deliberately allowed the election to proceed without using “federal might” to influence the outcome.

Speaking on Tuesday while inspecting flood-prone areas in Maitama, Abuja, Wike said he would have supported the President if he had decided to pursue an APC victory at all costs.

“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.

Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested on the Accord platform, won the election with 511,067 votes after securing victory in 19 of the 30 local government areas. APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes, while African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam received 17,180 votes.

Wike said the outcome demonstrated that the Federal Government did not interfere in the election to favour the ruling APC.

“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 FCT minister also suggested that Adeleke could have been an APC member if political circumstances had been different.

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

Looking ahead to the 2027 presidential election, Wike predicted an easier contest for Tinubu than in 2023, attributing this to what he described as a weakened opposition.

“The 2027 elections will be the easier one for the President compared to 2023,” he said, adding that “the opposition has been crippled, homeless, no feather.”