FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has promised to pay each councillor N10 million if they deliver their wards for President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 16 January 2027 general elections.
Wike made the promise on Monday at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali Area Council, Abuja, where he urged councillors to mobilise residents, youth groups and community associations ahead of the elections.
“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get N10 million reward. Therefore, go and meet your leaders, go and meet your youth groups, and go and consult with associations. Let’s deliver our ward to Mr President,” he said.
The minister said the reward was part of his grassroots mobilisation strategy and dismissed criticism of the cost of political campaigns, saying his focus was on empowering those working at the community level.
Wike also defended the Rainbow Coalition, which he founded, saying it was established to promote the interests of FCT residents across political divides.
He accused opposition politicians of double standards in their reactions to court judgments, particularly the Supreme Court ruling involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He said opposition figures had praised the judiciary when court decisions favoured them but accused the presidency of using the courts against them 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.’
“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 said.
The minister also defended the provision of new Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for first-class traditional rulers in the FCT, rejecting claims that the vehicles were political inducements.
He said traditional rulers deserved respect and should not be expected to depend on public transport while other public officials used official vehicles.
“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?
“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.
