19/08/2026
Wike must be seeing himself as a god.
Read that statement again:
“I would have won the Osun election for Tinubu at all cost if he wanted it, and there’s nothing the governor would have done.”
What exactly does “I would have won the election at all cost” mean?
Because in a democracy, you don't win an election for somebody. The people do. Candidates campaign, political parties mobilise, voters make their choices and the votes determine who wins.
So when a politician as powerful as Wike says he could “deliver” Osun to Tinubu at all cost, Nigerians have every right to ask: what exactly does “at all cost” entail?
Money?
Political influence?
Control of political structures?
Intimidation?
Manipulation of the electoral process?
Or the use of state and security machinery to achieve a predetermined outcome?
These are not small questions and honestly, in a sane clime, a statement like this should have Wike explaining exactly what he meant by “at all cost” from a cell, because an election is not a personal property that one politician can simply hand over to another politician.
But this is Nigeria, where political power often appears to come with its own immunity from consequences and that is what makes this statement so disturbing.
If politicians genuinely believe they can “deliver” elections to whoever they want, then what exactly is the role of the ordinary voter?
What happens to the millions of Nigerians who queue under the sun, thumbprint their ballot papers and believe their votes will actually determine who governs them?
Because this is the dangerous side of Nigerian politics.
Elections gradually stop being about the people and become about political machinery, godfatherism, money, influence, intimidation and control, and Wike has never exactly hidden the fact that he understands political power and knows how to deploy it.
That is why this statement should not simply be laughed off as another political boast. It should be interrogated because when a politician says he could have “won” an election for somebody “at all costs,” Nigerians deserve to know what he means.
And let's be honest: the battle against electoral manipulation is not just about Wike. It is about an entire political culture where powerful individuals sometimes behave as though elections are negotiations between political elites rather than the sovereign decision of the people.
The people of Osun have already demonstrated that political power does not automatically translate into the ability to impose an election result on them.
And as we approach 2027, Nigerians must be prepared to defend the sanctity of their votes because if Wike and other political power brokers believe they can simply “deliver” elections to their preferred candidates, Nigerians must remind them of one simple fact:
The ballot belongs to the people.
Not Wike.
Not Tinubu.
Not any governor.
Not any godfather.
The people.
So let me ask you:
If a politician can supposedly decide who wins an election “at all cost,” then where exactly do the people fit into our democracy?
Because if the answer is nowhere, then we are not really talking about democracy anymore. We are talking about political power masquerading as democracy.
And that should worry every Nigerian, regardless of the political party they support.
Dt Egbema Guy
