File photo of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has admitted working with members of the All Progressives Congress to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, saying he has no regrets about the decision.
Wike said the alliance was aimed at preventing former Governor Godwin Obaseki from producing his successor, despite his membership of the PDP and the credentials of the party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
He spoke on Monday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition, a cross-party political platform associated with his efforts to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
“Let me say this for people to know. A lot of people deny obvious facts. In the last election that took place in Edo State, the victory was as a result of the coalition between the legacy of PDP and the APC.
“We had to work together to make sure that the former governor, Governor Obaseki, did not produce his successor. And that is the truth. I was behind it, and I don’t have any regrets about it,” he said.
The APC’s Monday Okpebholo won the September 21, 2024 governorship election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes. Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata came third with 22,763 votes, according to results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Wike said his opposition to Ighodalo was not because he considered him unqualified, but because he viewed the election as an opportunity to prevent Obaseki from retaining political influence through his successor.
He described Ighodalo as a good candidate and recalled that he visited his house several times to seek his support.
“He came to my house more than three times. I said, listen, you’re a good candidate. But for this election, I’m sorry.
“This election is between us and the man who is bringing you, Governor Obaseki, an ingrate person, ungrateful person. So returning you is like bringing him back. So I’m sorry. You have to fail. And he failed,” he said.
Wike maintained that political coalitions were not new in Nigeria, arguing that alliances between politicians from different parties could determine electoral outcomes.
“So when people say that nothing like coalition, they tell lies. The truth of the matter is that it has been there depending on how it is worked out.
“So the governor today, Senator Okpebholo, we know sincerely that it was that coalition. Senator Adams Oshiomhole can also attest that it was that coalition that made us to defeat the PDP, even though I’m a member of PDP. But for that purpose, I said I would not support the incumbent governor to produce a successor,” he said.
Wike’s remarks come amid debate over the Rainbow Coalition, which he has promoted as a platform for mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election while allowing politicians to retain their membership of other parties.
The minister has maintained that the coalition is focused on the presidential election and is separate from the APC.
Some APC governors and party officials, however, have opposed the arrangement, arguing that political alliances outside the party’s structure could undermine its candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike remains a member of the PDP while serving in the APC-led Federal Government as FCT minister.
His support for Tinubu has repeatedly placed him at odds with some members of his party, particularly over the opposition’s political direction ahead of the next general election.
The PUNCH reports that at the Monday meeting, Wike also declared himself coordinator of Tinubu’s re-election campaign in the FCT and Rivers State.
PDP and APC stakeholders at the event agreed to work together for Tinubu’s second term and to back APC candidates for the FCT’s senatorial and House of Representatives seats.