A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Dele Momodu, has replied to a statement made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on the recently concluded Osun State governorship election.
Speaking during an interview on News Central Television on Wednesday, Momodu described the statement as “an empty boast.”
The minister had said he would have been in Osun State to help secure victory for the All Progressives Congress, APC, if President Bola Tinubu had wanted the party to win the election.
Replying, Momodu said Wike’s influence could not be greater than that of the Senate President and several governors who were unable to secure the desired result in Osun State.
The publisher of Ovation Magazine slammed the statement, describing it as unfortunate, and warned that the minister’s rhetoric suggested a strategy of enforcement to ensure APC victories in the 2027 general elections.
“I think it was a very unusual, uncommon and unfortunate statement for a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to make, but nothing is beyond our friend, Wike, the FCT Minister.
“When I listened to him, I had to respond instantly because I knew that was an empty boast. If he had been in Osun, he would not have achieved anything.
“He is not bigger than the Senate President and all the governors who carried themselves to Osun to try to deliver Osun to the APC. But the danger in his statement must be noted, especially as we approach January 2027.
“The only way the APC can win the next presidential election and all the governorship elections is very simple. They will need to repeat what they attempted in Osun and failed woefully.
“I need to also remind Wike, in case he has already forgotten, that five of them abandoned the PDP in the last election, and three of them were from Abia, Enugu and Benue states.
“The then governors, three of the G-5 governors, attempted to win senatorial seats in their respective states and also failed spectacularly. So, that is to tell you that governors don’t have the power of life and death.
“Wike would have to divide himself into 36 states plus Abuja for him to perform the kind of magic he thinks he can perform,” Momodu said.