The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has promised N10m to every councillor who successfully delivers their political ward to President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the promise during a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting attended by traditional rulers, political stakeholders and residents in Kwali Area Council on Monday.
He urged councillors to mobilise residents and community groups to secure victory for the APC in their respective wards, Channels TV reported.
“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get N10 million reward. Therefore, go and meet your leaders, go and meet your youth groups, go and consult with associations. Let’s deliver our ward to Mr President,” he said.
The minister also declared his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid and endorsed Senator Philip Aduda for the FCT Senate seat and Danladi Chiya for the Abuja South Federal Constituency.
“I don’t need to preach to you any longer. The one you are seeing is what you follow, not the one that will give you unfulfilled promises. I will go to sleep tonight because I know Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Abaji are 100 per cent for APC,” Wike declared.
Wike criticises opposition
He also accused opposition parties and political figures of double standards and hypocrisy over their reactions to judicial rulings.
Wike criticised opposition figures who condemned court decisions, citing the judicial verdict that voided the ticket of the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Contrasting the opposition’s reactions to different legal outcomes, Wike said their assessment of the judiciary depended on whether court decisions favoured them.
“When ADC had a matter in court and won at the Supreme Court, they said, ‘The court is the last hope,’ ‘The court has saved democracy,’ and ‘We know our judiciary will not fail us.’
“But when they lost a court case, it became: ‘The President is using the court to fight the opposition.’ When it is good for you, the judiciary is clear. When it is bad, you claim they are using it to destroy democracy. What kind of system are we operating?” Wike questioned.
The minister also defended his administration’s policy of providing brand-new Sport Utility Vehicles to first-class traditional rulers in the FCT, which has attracted criticism from some political commentators.
Vehicles: political inducement or bribe?
Dismissing allegations that the vehicles amounted to political inducements or bribes, Wike said traditional rulers deserved dignity and respect.
“You want a first-class traditional ruler to be walking on the road with a stick in hand, taking public buses so they can get hit by a car one day? But you expect Chief Press Secretaries to Governors, Chairmen, and Presidents to ride SUVs?
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“Instead of using their platforms to support good things, critics turn it upside down. We will provide for our traditional rulers, and nothing will come out of their complaints,” he said.
Wike said the administration had undertaken infrastructure projects across the FCT satellite towns, including the construction of more than 270 kilometres of roads, with 95 kilometres executed in Kwali.
He said the ongoing road projects across the satellite towns were nearing completion and would be inaugurated in December.
Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was working in the collective interest of FCT residents, adding that its grassroots structure was bridging political divides to promote effective representation and development.
“The kind of decision the President is taking is not one that other politicians will take, bringing us out from the shadow into reality, and that is what a good leader should be able to do for his people,” he said.
Comparing Tinubu’s administration with previous governments, Wike listed the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, appointment of an FCT Head of Service, financial autonomy for area councils and infrastructure upgrades across satellite towns as some of the current administration’s achievements.
He lamented what he described as the historical marginalisation of the FCT, saying that despite having a population of six to seven million, the territory had only one Senate seat and two House of Representatives seats.
“For 50 years, nobody could remember you. The President has changed the narrative, given you your own civil service, allowed you to employ your people, and elevated your traditional stools. You cannot afford to make a mistake in 2027,” Wike warned.
Wike also promised to look into the salaries of FCT councillors following a complaint by the Chairman of the National Councillors Forum of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, Gambo Hamza.
Hamza had said councillors in the territory received N260,000 as monthly salaries and appealed to the minister to intervene.
In his remarks, the APC Chairman in the FCT, Ishaku Yamawo, commended Wike for uniting political stakeholders across party lines and promoting development in the territory.
His Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Mohammed Dogara, also thanked Wike for his work in the FCT and assured him of massive support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Similarly, Aliyu Baka, who spoke on behalf of Rainbow Coalition stakeholders in the FCT, expressed regret over what he described as the coalition’s electoral missteps in 2023, saying it was prepared to ensure victory for its candidates and Tinubu in 2027.
