Wike Vows To Transform Kuje, Hails APC Victory In Area Council Election

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed gratitude to the people of Kuje area council for their massive support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recently concluded FCT area councils election, while also taking a swipe at the outgoing chairman whom he accused of disappearing during the polls.

Speaking during a thank-you visit to the council on Thursday, Wike said President Bola Tinubu directed him to personally appreciate communities that voted for the party’s candidates, adding that such loyalty must never be taken for granted.

“Remember one thing in life is when people have done you good, you go back and tell them thank you. Thank you in the sense that if they said they will not do it, you will not kill them.

“But having decided to listen to you and have agreed to work for you, I don’t think there’s anything difficult in you going back to tell them thank you,” Wike said.

The minister recalled that upon his appointment in August 2023, President Tinubu instructed him to consult widely with area councils to understand their developmental needs.

He reminded the people of Kuje that it was in that very hall that traditional rulers appealed for intervention on critical roads.

“I said, our royal father and the people of Kuje, go back, be assured that I will go back and tell Mr. President, and he will know whom he is, and we will do accordingly. Today, today we did not only award the garage road, it has been completed and commissioned,” he said.

He also provided updates on ongoing projects, including the airport road to Kuje being handled by Arab Contractors, which he said would be ready for President Tinubu’s third anniversary, and the 16-17 kilometer Kuje-Gwagwalada road being constructed by Gilmore Engineering, scheduled for inauguration by June this year.

“That is one contract. That is what I have told our people, that politics is like a contract. Politics should be a covenant between those that are elected and those that elected them. It is not where our people will use us and tell us stories and at the end of the day you no longer see them,” the minister emphasised.

In a surprising twist, Wike expressed disappointment with the council outgoing chairman Abdullahi Sabo, whom he accused of failing to honour agreements reached during over ten meetings held in the lead-up to the election.

“The outgoing chairman has said that irrespective of party affiliation that we are together. I just want to tell you, stand by whatever you say. Why I am saying this is that if you know me very well, whatever you will not do, don’t tell me you will do it. Your chairman told me, we have held meetings more than 10 times, even in the midnight, we all agreed.

“But, before I knew it, within a week to the election, the chairman disappeared. It is not good. Why am I saying this now, if I don’t say it and I go, it will mean I have something in my mind. That is why I am telling him.

“Now, he has said that by 2027 they will vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but I hope that not one week to the election too, he will not run away. But, whether he run away or not, we know how we will talk to the people of Kuje and they will listen to us,” he said.

The minister, however, expressed special interest in supporting the incoming chairman, Samuel Danjuma, whom he described as having been abandoned by his predecessor.

“I saw him as an orphan. I saw him as one who I think had lost all hope, but I said don’t lose hope. If you do for me, I do for you. If you fall for me, I fall for you. If you love me, I love you,” Wike said.

Offering fatherly advice to the chairman-elect, Wike cautioned against the corrupting influence of power and money, urging him to remain accessible to his people.

“Don’t be a chairman that is an away chairman. Be a chairman that is a home chairman. Don’t run away from listening to your people. Because when you were campaigning, you were always at home. Now that the results are strong, don’t be an away chairman.

“And I know, working with me, if you are an away chairman, you will be in trouble. Because I will let your people know that we have made a mistake. But I don’t think we made a mistake,” he said.

Drawing from his personal journey from council chairman to minister, Wike encouraged Danjuma to see the position as a stepping stone for greater responsibilities.

Earlier in his welcome address, outgoing Chairman Abdullahi Sabo described Wike’s visit as historic, noting he was the first minister to visit Kuje specifically to appreciate the people after an election.

“This gesture indicates the true love you have for Kuje people. It has also shown that you are not only a project master, but you are also a unifier, a bridge builder, a peace weaver, and above all, Your Excellency, you are a field marshal in Nigerian politics. At this moment, I stand to be corrected. You are equal among none,” Sabo said.

Despite their political differences, Sabo pledged the support of Kuje people for President Tinubu’s reelection in 2027, citing the infrastructural development already witnessed under his administration.

“Therefore, with the presidential election looming, the people of Kuje have no option than to reciprocate the good gesture of Mr. President by supporting him for his reelection bid, so that Kuje area Council can enjoy more infrastructural development and other dividends of democracy,” he added.