The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has promised to give councillors in the Territory’s six area councils ₦10 million each if they deliver their respective wards to President Bola Tinubu and other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Wike made the pledge on Monday, November 9, at his Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting attended by traditional rulers, political stakeholders and residents in Kwali Area Council.
“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 urged.
The ICIR reports that the promise will amount to ₦620 million if all 62 councillors in the FCT secure victory for the president and other APC candidates in the nation’s capital.
Wike, a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), was appointed minister by Tinubu in 2023 and has remained in the party since then.
In the build-up to the 2027 polls, the former Rivers State governor formed the Rainbow Coalition, a platform through which members of different political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP, will support Tinubu’s re-election for a second and final term and vote for candidates of their choice in other elections.
The ICIR reports that although Wike is a chieftain of the PDP, he wields considerable influence among APC public officeholders in the FCT.
The FCT has six area councils namely Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali, with 62 electoral wards and councillorship positions. AMAC has 12 wards, while each of the other five area councils has 10.
The pledge comes as political mobilisation gathers momentum ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential and National Assembly election, with Wike openly committing his political structure to Tinubu’s re-election.
However, the arrangement raises concerns about electoral inducement and the use of financial incentives to influence political activities ahead of the 2027 polls.
Under Section 125 of the Electoral Act 2026, a person commits electoral bribery by corruptly offering or promising money, gifts or other benefits to procure the return of a candidate to an elective office or influence a voter’s decision.
The law also criminalises the payment of money intended to be used for electoral bribery.
The minister did not disclose who would finance the ₦620 million potential payout, or how the money would be disbursed.
Wike’s proposed ₦620 million reward also comes days after he procured brand-new Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for traditional rulers in the FCT. The proposed gift also comes against the backdrop of statutory limits on campaign expenditure ahead of the 2027 elections.
Section 92(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 caps the election expenses of a presidential candidate at ₦10 billion. The law also limits governorship candidates to ₦3 billion, senatorial candidates to ₦500 million and House of Representatives candidates to ₦250 million.
Wike defends SUVs for traditional rulers
The promise followed Wike’s defence of his administration’s decision to procure brand-new SUVs for first-class traditional rulers in the FCT.
The vehicles have attracted criticism from political commentators, who questioned the spending amid competing development needs, particularly in a nation’s capital where hospitals are ill-equipped or non-functional, schools are dilapidated, and several communities lack access to potable water, among other challenges.
However, Wike dismissed allegations that the vehicles amounted to political inducement or bribery, arguing that traditional rulers deserved dignity and respect.
He said the Tinubu administration would continue to provide support to traditional rulers despite the criticism.
“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 president to ride SUVs?
“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 endorses Tinubu, other APC candidates
At the meeting, Wike declared support for Tinubu’s re-election and endorsed Philip Aduda, a former senator, for the FCT Senate seat and Danladi Chiya for the Abuja South Federal Constituency.
He expressed confidence that the APC would secure victory 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.
Wike also criticised opposition politicians over their reactions to judicial decisions, particularly the judgment that voided the ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He accused opposition figures of praising the judiciary when its decisions favour them but questioning its independence when rulings go against 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?” he asked.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M