Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that he deliberately worked against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in the 2024 Edo governorship election to prevent former Governor Godwin Obaseki from installing his successor.
Wike made the revelation on Monday at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where he credited cooperation between elements of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the ruling party’s victory in the election.
The minister said his opposition to Ighodalo was not based on the candidate’s competence but on his determination to prevent Obaseki from retaining political influence after leaving office.
“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,” Wike said.
He maintained that the alliance was deliberately formed to frustrate Obaseki’s succession plan, adding that he had no regrets about his involvement.
“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.
Wike disclosed that Ighodalo visited him at his residence on more than three occasions to seek his support before the election. However, the minister said he turned down the requests because he viewed the contest as an opportunity to stop Obaseki from extending his political influence beyond his tenure.
According to him, supporting Ighodalo would have effectively amounted to supporting the former governor’s return to power through a political proxy.
“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,” Wike recounted.
The FCT minister said the outcome of the election demonstrated the effectiveness of political alliances, arguing that coalitions could play a decisive role in determining electoral victories.
He cited Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, as individuals who could attest to the contribution of the alliance to the APC’s success.
Wike also stressed that his decision to oppose Ighodalo did not change his assessment of the former banker as a good candidate. Rather, he said, his priority was to prevent Obaseki from choosing his successor.
The minister’s comments come amid renewed efforts by political actors to build alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the Rainbow Coalition emerging as part of the ongoing political realignments.
His admission provides further insight into the behind-the-scenes negotiations and rivalries that shaped the 2024 Edo governorship election, in which the APC’s Okpebholo defeated the PDP’s Ighodalo.
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