ABUJA, NIGERIA — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu could have ensured victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent Osun State governorship election if he had wanted to win the election “at all costs.”

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Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the President deliberately allowed the election to take place without interference from the Federal Government, despite the APC’s efforts to win the governorship contest.

The FCT Minister made the remark while reflecting on the outcome of the election and the political dynamics surrounding the contest between the APC and the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke.

According to Wike, the outcome demonstrated that the Federal Government did not deploy its powers to influence the result in favour of the ruling APC.

He suggested that if Tinubu had been determined to secure the state “at all costs,” the political and institutional resources available to the Federal Government could have been deployed to achieve that objective.

Wike further claimed that Adeleke would have been powerless to prevent such an effort, suggesting that the governor’s eventual victory was partly a result of the President’s decision not to interfere in the electoral process.

The former Rivers State governor’s comments come amid continued reactions to the Osun governorship election, which produced a victory for Adeleke and triggered renewed political debate over the conduct of elections, federal influence and the relationship between the ruling APC and opposition parties.

The statement is likely to generate further reactions from political parties and stakeholders as attention shifts towards the 2027 general elections.