The Oduduwa Development Congress (ODC) has refuted the assertion made by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, regarding his purported role in the ascension of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to power.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, the group dismissed Wike’s claims as unfounded and insisted that Tinubu’s presidency was a result of the will of the Nigerian people.
President of the ODC, Oluwasanmi Sola, asserted that Wike’s statements were baseless and hinted at insubordination.
The group emphasized that Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election reflected the electorate’s choice, with over 8.7 million votes cast in his favour.
Sola said: “We would normally ignore Wike’s claims as the ramblings of a delusional person, but given the power of propaganda to cause harm, we feel compelled to correct the record.
“It’s important to note that the results of the 2023 presidential election, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), show that Nigerians elected Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as their President, not Wike.
“Tinubu received a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all candidates, meeting the first constitutional requirement to be declared the winner.
“He also received over 25% of the votes cast in 30 states, exceeding the 24 states required by the constitution. Local and international observers confirmed that his victory reflected the will of the people, and the Supreme Court upheld the outcome.
“Therefore, Wike’s claim of singlehandedly bringing President Tinubu to power is false and misleading. How could he when he couldn’t secure ordinary ticket of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for himself?
“In President Tinubu’s election victory acceptance speech, he recognized and thanked those who worked hard to secure the victory. However, he did not mention the name of Nyesom Wike.
“This suggests that the FCT Minister’s claim of playing a significant role in the President’s electoral success is merely a product of his imagination.
“The former Rivers State governor owes Nigerians an apology for attempting to take credit for our collective mandate.”
