Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has promised to give each councillor in the territory ₦10 million if they successfully deliver their respective wards for President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the pledge on Monday, November 9, during a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting attended by traditional rulers, political stakeholders and residents in Kwali Area Council, Abuja.
Addressing the gathering, the minister urged councillors to mobilise community leaders, youth groups and local associations to secure electoral support for Tinubu ahead of the next presidential election.
“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,” Wike said.
The minister’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, subsequently confirmed the ₦10 million pledge to TheCable.
Wike also declared his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid, expressing confidence that the APC would receive overwhelming support in Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji area councils.
“I will go to sleep tonight because I know Kwali, Gwagwalada, and Abaji are 100 per cent for APC,” he said.
Beyond the presidential election, Wike endorsed former FCT senator Philip Aduda for the Senate seat and Danladi Chiya for the Abuja South Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 polls.
The minister also used the gathering to defend the Tinubu administration’s record in the FCT, highlighting infrastructure projects and changes to the territory’s administrative structure.
He cited the construction of more than 270 kilometres of roads across satellite towns, including 95 kilometres in Kwali, as part of the administration’s development efforts. He said the ongoing projects were nearing completion and were expected to be inaugurated in December.
Wike further listed the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, appointment of an FCT Head of Service, financial autonomy for area councils and infrastructure improvements as some of the administration’s achievements.
The minister also criticised opposition politicians over their reactions to recent court decisions involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accusing them of taking inconsistent positions on the judiciary depending on whether its rulings favoured them.
His ₦10 million pledge comes as political mobilisation intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the minister using the Rainbow Coalition platform to rally support for Tinubu and other APC candidates in the FCT.
However, the reports of the meeting did not specify the source of funding for the proposed rewards, the conditions for determining whether a councillor had successfully delivered a ward or how the payments would be administered.
The pledge has therefore drawn attention to the financial incentive Wike is offering grassroots political representatives as part of his mobilisation strategy for the 2027 elections.
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