Wike says Adeleke won due to Tinubu's fair election

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, said Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won the recent Osun State governorship election because President Bola Tinubu allowed the vote to be free and fair.

Wike made this statement while checking flood-affected areas in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday.

While talking about the August 15 Osun governorship election, Wike rejected claims that the Federal Government rigged the poll. He said Tinubu let the democratic process happen without interference.

He added that the results showed the Federal Government did not use its power 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!”

Wike also disagreed with the idea that the federal government used its power to sway elections. He shared his own experiences from earlier elections. 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.”

He urged people watching politics to see the difference between state governorship elections and presidential elections. He said the result of a state election should not be taken as a sign of what will happen in a presidential election.

Wike's comments came just days after Adeleke beat the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, in the Osun governorship election.

Adeleke got 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji received 444,815 votes, giving Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes.

Adeleke won 19 out of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji took 11.