The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has promised to pay each councillor in the territory ₦10 million if they secure victory for President Bola Tinubu in their respective wards in the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the promise on Monday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Kwali Area Council, Abuja, where he urged councillors to mobilise residents, youth groups and community associations to secure electoral support for the president.
“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get ₦10 million reward,” the minister said. “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.”
According to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICIR), the FCT has 62 councillors across its six area councils. If all of them secure victory for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the proposed rewards would amount to ₦620 million.
At the meeting, Wike also endorsed former FCT senator Philip Aduda for the Senate seat and Danladi Chiya for the Abuja South Federal Constituency.
He expressed confidence in the APC’s chances in the territory, particularly in Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji area councils.
“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,” he said.
The minister also criticised opposition politicians over their reactions to a recent Federal High Court judgement that nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark and affected the party’s decisions, including its presidential ticket involving former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Wike accused opposition figures of inconsistency in their attitude towards the judiciary, arguing that they praised court decisions when the outcomes favoured them but questioned the courts when they lost cases.
“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,”’ he said.
“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 also defended the Tinubu administration’s record in the FCT, claiming that no previous government had done more for the territory.
He said the administration had embarked on extensive infrastructure projects across the satellite towns, including more than 270 kilometres of road construction, with 95 kilometres in Kwali.
Other achievements he highlighted included the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, the appointment of an FCT Head of Service, financial autonomy for area councils and improvements to infrastructure in communities outside the city centre.
Meanwhile, the minister pledged to examine the remuneration of councillors following complaints about their earnings.
The Chairman of the National Councillors Forum of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, Gambo Hamza, had told the meeting that councillors in the territory received ₦260,000 monthly and appealed to Wike to intervene.
Wike promised to engage relevant government officials to address their concerns.
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