FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has disclosed that he personally urged Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke to publicly appreciate President Bola Tinubu after securing victory in the state’s August 15 governorship election.

Wike made the revelation on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, during a media parley, while explaining his involvement in the Osun election and his relationship with Adeleke.

According to the minister, his interest was not simply in whether Adeleke would win the election, but in whether the governor would maintain his declared support for Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027 if he emerged victorious.

Wike said he contacted Adeleke while he was in Croatia and asked him directly whether he would continue to support the President after winning the election. Adeleke, according to Wike, assured him that he would.

The FCT minister said he subsequently told the Osun governor to publicly reaffirm his support for Tinubu and thank the President for what he described as allowing a free and fair election.

Wike also revealed that he advised Adeleke to present his Certificate of Return to Tinubu after receiving it from the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Wike links Adeleke’s gesture to 2027 political strategy

Explaining his reasoning, Wike said his intervention was part of a broader political strategy aimed at weakening the influence of the opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He claimed that Adeleke’s public statement supporting Tinubu affected the political calculations of the coalition, alleging that the African Democratic Congress subsequently withdrew from certain arrangements.

Wike said he did not need to approach Tinubu personally over the matter because, in his view, the objective was to ensure that Adeleke’s position became publicly known.

The minister’s comments provide a new explanation for the warm remarks Adeleke made about Tinubu immediately after the Osun election results were announced.

Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party, thanked Tinubu and said the President had called to congratulate him after his victory.

The governor praised the President for what he described as his role in ensuring that democracy prevailed and a free and fair election was conducted.

Adeleke also reaffirmed his support for Tinubu’s 2027 presidential ambition, saying he would back the President for a second term.

The governor had previously been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party but contested the 2026 election under the Accord Party after leaving the PDP.

His decision to publicly support Tinubu has generated considerable political discussion, particularly because he remains an opposition governor while backing the presidential ambition of the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

INEC declared Adeleke the winner of the August 15 election after he secured 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.

The result gave Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes. He won 19 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11. ADC candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes.

Adeleke’s post-election comments were followed by his visit to the Presidential Villa, where he presented his Certificate of Return to Tinubu.

The meeting further fuelled political speculation over the relationship between the Osun governor and the President, although Adeleke has maintained that his support for Tinubu is based on his belief that a Yoruba President should be given another opportunity to continue his administration.

In an interview after the election, Adeleke said he would support Tinubu “big time” in the 2027 presidential election and indicated that he was prepared to work with APC figures, including his defeated opponent Oyebamiji and former Osun governor Gboyega Oyetola, in support of Tinubu.

Wike’s latest disclosure therefore places Adeleke’s post-election appreciation of Tinubu within a wider political calculation ahead of 2027.

The minister maintained that his intervention was focused on securing political support for Tinubu and countering what he described as an opposition coalition seeking to build influence ahead of the next presidential election.

Adeleke’s position has meanwhile continued to attract reactions from opposition figures and political commentators, with some questioning his decision to support Tinubu while governing under an opposition party.

Others have argued that the governor has the right to maintain a working relationship with the Federal Government while pursuing his own political interests.

The development highlights the increasingly complex political alignments emerging ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly as politicians from different parties reassess their alliances following the Osun governorship election.

For Wike, however, Adeleke’s decision to thank Tinubu and reaffirm his support was not an unexpected development. He said it followed a direct conversation between both men before and after the election, as part of his effort to secure Adeleke’s continued support for the President.