Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, belongs to his political camp while describing President Bola Tinubu as the ultimate political authority over them, as fresh alignments gather pace ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the remark on Friday while speaking with journalists in Abuja, a day after Adeleke visited him following his re-election in the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
“Adeleke belongs to us, and we all belong to Mr President,” Wike said, signalling what he described as a growing political alignment around Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
The declaration came against the backdrop of a busy round of political consultations by Adeleke in Abuja.
The Osun governor had earlier met President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, where he presented his Certificate of Return after being declared winner of the governorship election.
He later met Wike and was photographed with the FCT minister while both men held the certificate.
Adeleke won the election with 511,067 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam finished third with 17,180 votes. Adeleke won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas.
Following the election, Adeleke’s movements have attracted considerable political attention, particularly because of his meetings with Tinubu and Wike, both influential figures in the emerging 2027 political calculations.
During his meeting with Tinubu, Adeleke reportedly thanked the President for what he described as allowing a free and fair electoral process in Osun. He described Tinubu as the “father of the nation” and said the President’s conduct had helped democracy prevail in the state.
Wike seized on the governor’s engagements to dismiss claims by members of the opposition that they were responsible for Adeleke’s electoral victory.
He specifically took aim at elements within the African Democratic Congress who, according to him, were attempting to claim ownership of Adeleke’s victory.
“I told you that the 2027 election would be the most in-depth election. I have told ADC who are talking about, oh, they helped Adeleke to win, they just wanted to go ahead and harvest what they never planted,” Wike said.
The minister said Adeleke’s decision to visit Tinubu and himself was evidence of where the governor’s political allegiance currently stood.
“So, Adeleke is fully supporting Mr President,” Wike declared.
He predicted that the political movement around Tinubu would grow in the coming weeks, describing the emerging alliance as a “Rainbow Coalition” and suggesting that more politicians and political groups would join the President’s camp.
“In the next few weeks, watch what is going to happen. You will see the Rainbow Coalition in this country supporting Mr President,” he said.
Wike also rejected the notion that the 2027 presidential contest had already been decided, even as he expressed confidence that the political realignments underway would give Tinubu a formidable advantage.
“You will see more and that is why I said this election will be concluded before it starts. So, there is nothing anybody can do,” he said.
His comments are particularly significant coming days after the Osun election, which has become an early indicator of the political manoeuvring expected to intensify ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Wike also mocked publisher and former presidential aspirant Dele Momodu over his reported alignment with the ADC and support for Adeleke, questioning where Momodu stood following the governor’s meetings with Tinubu and himself.
“Adeleke belongs to us, and we all belong to Mr President,” Wike said.
