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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has attributed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election to what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s decision to allow a free and fair electoral process.
Wike made the remarks on Tuesday, August 18, while speaking during an inspection tour of flood-affected areas in the Federal Capital Territory.
According to the former Rivers State governor, Adeleke’s victory demonstrated that the Federal Government did not deploy its influence to prevent an opposition candidate from winning the election.
Wike pointed to President Tinubu’s decision to congratulate Adeleke after the election as further evidence that the Presidency accepted the outcome of the poll.
“If Tinubu did not allow a free and fair election, would they have won? No!” Wike said while responding to allegations surrounding the possible deployment of “federal might” during the election.
Adeleke, who contested on the platform of the Accord Party, was declared winner after polling 511,067 votes. His closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 444,815 votes — a difference of 66,252 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11.
Wike also cautioned against interpreting the Osun result as a direct indication of what could happen during Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election. He argued that the dynamics of an off-cycle governorship election differ significantly from those of a nationwide presidential contest.
His remarks are likely to fuel a wider debate over the role of the Presidency, security agencies and electoral institutions in guaranteeing credible elections.
Under Nigeria’s democratic system, the responsibility for conducting elections rests with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while government institutions and security agencies are expected to provide an environment in which citizens can freely exercise their right to vote.
Wike’s choice of the word “allowed” could therefore become a major talking point: should the credibility of an election depend on what a sitting president chooses to “allow,” or should free, fair and credible elections be guaranteed by strong and independent democratic institutions regardless of who occupies the Presidency?
