WIKE ADMITS WORKING WITH APC TO DEFEAT PDP IN 2024 EDO GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

By NaijaParrot October 13, 2026 

 ABUJA, NIGERIA — 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has admitted working with elements of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defeat his own party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the September 2024 Edo State governorship election. Wike said he had no regrets about the decision, explaining that his opposition was driven by his determination to prevent former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki from installing his preferred successor. He made the disclosure on Monday, October 12, 2026, during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, where political figures discussed plans to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking at the meeting, Wike said cooperation between elements of the PDP and APC contributed to the emergence of Monday Okpebholo as Edo State governor. He maintained that the political alliance was deliberately formed to stop Obaseki from determining who would succeed him. Wike 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.” The minister acknowledged that his position meant working against the PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, despite his membership of the opposition party. 

 Wike explained that his opposition to Ighodalo was not because he considered the former PDP candidate unqualified. According to him, he regarded Ighodalo as a good candidate and recalled that the businessman had visited his residence several times to seek his support. However, Wike said he viewed Ighodalo’s candidacy as a means through which Obaseki could retain political influence after leaving office. He therefore chose to oppose the PDP candidate because of his disagreement with the outgoing governor. His remarks have renewed attention on the internal divisions within the PDP and the political alliances that shaped the 2024 Edo governorship contest. 

 The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared APC candidate Monday Okpebholo the winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election. Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes, defeating PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo, who received 247,274 votes. Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata came third with 22,763 votes. Wike attributed the outcome partly to cooperation between political actors from the two major parties, arguing that alliances across party lines can influence election results. His account, however, represents his explanation of the political factors behind the result and does not establish that the alliance alone determined the outcome.  

minister used the Edo experience to defend the idea of cross-party political cooperation ahead of the 2027 elections. He argued that alliances between politicians from different parties were not new in Nigeria and could be formed when participants shared a common objective. Wike has also declared his intention to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election in the FCT and Rivers State, even though he remains a PDP member. The arrangement has attracted debate within the APC, with some party stakeholders welcoming Wike’s support for Tinubu while others have expressed concern about how his coalition could affect the party’s structures and candidates in the 2027 elections. Wike’s latest admission is likely to intensify discussions about party loyalty, political alliances and the future of the PDP as Nigeria prepares for another general election. 

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