The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has admitted that he worked against Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2024 Edo governorship election, because he did not want former Governor Godwin Obaseki to produce his successor.
Wike made the revelation on Monday at a stakeholders’ meeting of the rainbow coalition in Abuja, where he said an alliance between elements of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) contributed to the ruling party’s victory in the election.
The APC candidate, Monday Okpebholo, defeated Ighodalo, who was backed by Obaseki, in the September 2024 governorship election.
Speaking at the meeting, Wike, a PDP member serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, said the outcome of the election demonstrated how political alliances could influence electoral results.
“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,” he said.
“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. So when people say that there is nothing like coalition, they tell lies.”
The FCT minister said Okpebholo and Adams Oshiomhole, a former Edo governor and senator representing Edo North, could attest to the role the alliance played in securing the APC’s victory.
Wike maintained that although Ighodalo was a good candidate, he refused to support him because doing so would have allowed Obaseki to retain political influence through his successor.
“The truth of the matter is that it has been there, depending on how it is worked out. So the governor today, Senator Okpebholo, will know sincerely that it was that coalition,” he said.
“Senator Adams Oshiomhole will also attest to the fact 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, even though the candidate was a very good candidate, who was the former managing director of a bank.
“He came to my house more than three times. I said, ‘listen, you’re a good candidate, but for this election, I’m sorry, because this election is between us and the man who is bringing you, called Obaseki, ungrateful person, so returning you is like bringing him back, so I’m sorry. You have to fail,’ and he failed.”
The remarks came amid growing political discussions surrounding the rainbow coalition, which has attracted attention as political actors begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
