Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, stated that Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won the recent Osun State governorship election because President Bola Tinubu allowed the election to be free and fair.
Wike made the statement while on an inspection visit of flood-affected districts in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday.
Wike responded to the August 15 Osun governorship election by dismissing charges that the federal government rigged the vote, stating that Tinubu allowed the democratic process to run its course.
The minister stated that the election results showed that the federal government did not use its influence to harm the opposition.
Wike said, “The president called him… congratulating him (Adeleke). What does it tell you? If Tinubu did not allow a free and fair election, would they have won? No!”
The former Rivers State governor also pushed back against claims of federal might being used to influence elections, drawing from his experience of previous electoral contests.
He said, “When you say force of the federal government… ask those who have survived it, though—people like me who survived federal might. It’s not by saying ‘they say, they say.’ It’s not true.”
Wike advised political watchers to distinguish between state gubernatorial elections and presidential elections, arguing that the results of an off-season governorship poll should not be regarded as a predictor of what will happen in a presidential battle.
The minister’s comments come just days after Adeleke defeated All Progressives Congress candidate Bola Oyebamiji in the Osun governorship election.
Adeleke received 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji received 444,815 votes, giving the incumbent a margin of 66,252 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of the state’s 30 local government districts, with Oyebamiji taking 11.
Wike also addressed the periodic floods in sections of the FCT, stating that the issue should not be politicized without first studying its root causes.
According to the minister, some detractors utilized the recent flooding to criticize the administration rather than recognizing its accomplishments in other areas.
He noted that government authorities and residents both had a responsibility to play in averting flooding.
Wike refuted claims that poor residents were responsible for encroaching on waterways and restricted areas.
He stated that wealthy Nigerians built many of the structures that obstruct drainage channels prior to the current administration.
