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Wike Reveals He Pressured Adeleke To Reaffirm Support For Tinubu After Osun Election

Wike Reveals He Pressured Adeleke To Reaffirm Support For Tinubu After Osun Election

Former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that he contacted Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke after the governorship election and urged him to publicly reaffirm his support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Wike said he made the call because of his interest in ensuring that Adeleke remained committed to an earlier promise to support Tinubu after securing re-election.

The former governor disclosed this while explaining his political calculations and relationships with various political actors ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Wike, several political interests and factions were involved in the Osun political situation, while Adeleke had previously been associated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before contesting the governorship election on the platform of the Accord Party.

Wike said he was outside Nigeria when the Osun election took place but remained interested in the outcome and whether Adeleke would honour his commitment to support Tinubu if he emerged victorious.

He said he subsequently contacted Adeleke and asked whether he would maintain his support for the President after winning the election.

“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,” Wike said.

The FCT minister said he then advised Adeleke to publicly declare his continued support for Tinubu following his victory.

“I told Adeleke, I called him when I was in Croatia. I said, you told me you will support Mr. President. He said, yes. Now you have won. Issue a statement. Issue a statement that you still will support Mr. President, thanking him for free and fair election,” Wike said.

According to Wike, Adeleke subsequently issued the statement reaffirming his support for Tinubu.

Wike also said he advised the Osun governor to present his certificate of return to the President after receiving it.

“I also told him, Adeleke, when you receive your certificate of return, go and present it to Mr. President,” he said.

Wike: My Strategy Is To Secure Tinubu’s Victory

Explaining his political calculations ahead of 2027, Wike said his actions were driven by his desire to ensure Tinubu’s success at the presidential election.

“Anywhere I sit, my strategy, my thinking, how will President win this election?” he said.

The former Rivers governor also sought to distinguish between actions taken by the Federal Government and those of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in relation to political disputes involving Adeleke.

“If Federal Government was fighting Adeleke, Federal Government, that is when I am involved. But if APC is fighting Adeleke, I’m not a member of APC,” Wike said.

He explained that his position was informed by his assessment of the relationship between Tinubu, APC governors and other political actors as alliances and rivalries continue to take shape ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike further said his decision to encourage Adeleke to publicly reaffirm his support for Tinubu was part of a broader political strategy aimed at preventing politicians from using electoral victories to negotiate political favours.

“Why was that strategy? To knock off these people who call a position, calling to be, to come and call a favour,” he said.

Adeleke Wins Second Term In Osun

The development followed the Osun State governorship election held on August 15, 2026, in which incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke secured a second term.

Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party after leaving the PDP, defeated the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

He polled 511,067 votes, against Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salaam, scored 17,180 votes.

Shortly after being declared winner, Adeleke publicly reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.

He thanked the President for what he described as his support for a free and fair election and referred to Tinubu as a “son of Osun State.”

Wike’s disclosure adds another dimension to the political realignments taking place ahead of the 2027 elections, as politicians across party lines continue to explore alliances and possible support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.