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FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has revealed that he personally contacted Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke after his victory in the recent governorship election and asked him to publicly reaffirm his support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
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Wike said he made the call while he was in Croatia after Adeleke won the election, reminding the governor of his earlier commitment to support Tinubu and urging him to put the pledge on record.
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The disclosure comes days after APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, confirmed that Adeleke had assured the party of his continued support for Tinubu and pledged to personally campaign for the President in 2027.
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The APC has consequently begun exploring an alliance with Adeleke’s Accord Party structure, with the ruling party projecting about 1.5 million presidential votes from Osun State in 2027.
September 02, (THEWILL) — The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has disclosed that he personally contacted Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, after his victory in the recent governorship election and asked him to publicly reaffirm his support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Wike disclosed on Wednesday during a media parley in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while responding to claims that he supported Adeleke during the Osun governorship election.
The minister said his intervention was not an endorsement of Adeleke’s candidacy but was driven by his concern about President Tinubu’s prospects in the 2027 presidential election and his desire to establish whether the Osun governor would honour an earlier commitment to support the President.
Wike explained that Adeleke, who was previously a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), moved to the Accord Party amid the crisis within the opposition party in order to secure a platform to contest the governorship election.
“They said I supported Adeleke. Adeleke was in PDP. PDP had crisis. He moved to Accord so that he would be able to get his ticket on that election day,” Wike said.
He stressed that he was not in Nigeria when the election took place, saying his principal interest was whether Adeleke would remain committed to supporting Tinubu after the election.
“I was not in Nigeria, I was outside this country. Election happened. My concern, if I don’t get with him, will you still support Mr President?
“ And I called him because that’s my own interest. I called him, I said, listen, you have told me you will support Mr President. Are you going to keep to it? He said he was going to keep to it. I wish him good luck,” Wike said.
The minister said he subsequently told Adeleke that his position should be made public, particularly after emerging victorious in the election.
According to Wike, he called Adeleke while he was in Croatia and asked him to issue a statement reaffirming his support for Tinubu and commending the President for what he described as a free and fair election.
“I told Adeleke, I called him when I was in Croatia. I said, you told me you support Mr President. I said, now you have won. Issue a statement. Issue a statement that you still will support Mr President and thanking him for a free and fair election,” he said.
Wike said Adeleke eventually issued the statement, adding that he did not need to personally inform Tinubu about the governor’s position.
“I don’t need to go and tell anybody. I don’t need to go and tell Mr President. He issued a statement,” he added.
Adeleke’s Tinubu Support Confirmed By APC
Wike’s disclosure comes against the backdrop of a political development already reported by THEWILL on August 31, when APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, confirmed that Adeleke had assured the ruling party of his continued support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Basiru had disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with Adeleke at the Osun State Government House in Osogbo.
According to Basiru, the meeting had three objectives: to reciprocate Adeleke’s condolence visit following the death of his mother, congratulate him on his governorship election victory and appreciate him for endorsing Tinubu for a second term.
The APC national secretary said Adeleke had gone beyond merely endorsing Tinubu, claiming that the governor had pledged to personally campaign for the President ahead of the 2027 election.
“The governor has said that he will not only endorse the President, he will also be on the field to campaign vigorously for President Bola Tinubu,” Basiru said.
Basiru said Oyebamiji had also congratulated Adeleke after the election, while he personally visited the governor to extend the APC’s congratulations.
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APC Targets 1.5m Votes From Osun
The APC has also begun positioning Adeleke’s political support as part of its wider strategy to strengthen Tinubu’s chances in Osun State ahead of 2027.
Basiru said the party was targeting about 1.5 million votes for Tinubu in Osun, based on the voting strength recorded by the APC and Accord Party in the recent governorship election.
He said the APC secured about 46 per cent of the votes cast, while the combined votes of the APC and Accord were close to one million.
“With the presidential election, I think we should be looking at working together to deliver about 1.5 million votes for President Tinubu,” Basiru said.
He also disclosed that the APC was working towards integrating the Accord Party’s structure into its presidential campaign machinery, describing the move as part of efforts to build support for Tinubu across party lines.
“Of course, we are working together to fuse the Accord Party structure into the campaign structure for President Tinubu. What we are doing is to ensure we have widespread support for President Tinubu across party lines,” he said.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
