2027: Wike Tasks Tinubu’s Supporters With Delivering Polling Units, Wards, LGs

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned political leaders and supporters of President Bola Tinubu against celebrating political endorsements without demonstrating their commitment through votes at the grassroots in the January 16, 2027 election.

Wike insisted that every stakeholder must take responsibility for delivering their polling units, wards, local governments and states, declaring that nobody should claim credit for an electoral victory without contributing to it.

He spoke on Saturday at the Rainbow Coalition Stakeholders Meeting and unveiling of FCT National Assembly candidates, organised by the FCT Stakeholders Assembly at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja.

The gathering, attended by traditional rulers, political leaders, area council chairmen, indigenous communities, youth groups and other residents, endorsed Tinubu for a second term, alongside Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda for the FCT senatorial seat, Hon. Don Gabaya for Abuja North Federal Constituency and former Bwari Area Council Chairman, Danladi Chiya, for Abuja South Federal Constituency.

Addressing the stakeholders, Wike charged them to move beyond political declarations and ensure that their support translated into votes during the election.

“Deliver your polling unit, deliver your ward, deliver your local government, deliver your state.

“I don’t want to hear that I lost my polling unit, but we won. There is no grammar like that. If you lose your polling unit, don’t say you won, because you never contributed to the victory,” he said.

The minister urged FCT residents not to repeat what he described as the mistakes of the 2023 general election, saying the 2027 poll offered an opportunity to correct past political decisions.

“We shall never make the mistake we made in 2023. Are we going to make the same mistake? No! When you realise a mistake, you correct it,” he declared.

Wike also threw his weight behind Aduda’s senatorial ambition, describing him as a son, father and friend of the people who understood the political and developmental aspirations of FCT residents.

He questioned the performance of the incumbent senator, asking whether she had demonstrated sufficient interest in the welfare of her constituents or maintained meaningful engagement with them.

“Today, can you say in all honesty, the person representing you in the Senate, does she care about you? Has she called you for a meeting any day? Can she move any bill for the betterment of the FCT?” he queried.

He said stakeholders had resolved to support Aduda as their preferred candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.

The minister attributed the endorsement of Tinubu to the President’s interventions in infrastructure development and reforms in the FCT, particularly the upgrading of traditional institutions.

According to him, successive administrations failed to upgrade the territory’s traditional institutions for 27 years until Tinubu approved the exercise.

He further disclosed that the President had approved the provision of Sports Utility Vehicles for traditional rulers, which would be presented on December 4.

“Leadership is key. We must have a leader who is courageous, who will stand firm and do what is right, and who will not bother about criticism. What is right is right,” Wike said.

He stressed the need to empower traditional institutions, noting their contributions to peace, community development and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Wike also commended the six area council chairmen for cooperating with the FCT Administration despite their different political affiliations, saying their collaboration had facilitated development across the territory.

He identified the establishment of the FCT Youth Development Secretariat, Women Affairs Secretariat and Civil Service Commission as some of the major achievements of the Tinubu administration.

According to him, the Civil Service Commission had created opportunities for career progression among FCT civil servants, who could now aspire to become permanent secretaries and Head of Service.

“Before, you only retired as a director. None of them could aspire to be a permanent secretary or Head of Service. But by the grace of God, through Bola Ahmed Tinubu, today they can aspire to be permanent secretaries and Head of Service,” he said.

On youth engagement, the minister apologised for the delay in granting an audience to youth representatives, attributing it to his demanding political responsibilities in Rivers State and the FCT.

He, however, announced November 10 for a meeting with youths from the six area councils.

Wike also disclosed that he had obtained Tinubu’s approval for four buses to facilitate youth mobilisation across the territory.

“While you were speaking, I had to seek the approval of Mr President. When that is approved, we should give the youths four buses so that they can go around and mobilise our people,” he said.

He urged the youths to mobilise women, traditional rulers and other grassroots stakeholders ahead of the election.

The minister also promised a separate meeting with persons with disabilities, encouraging them to exercise their voting rights and participate actively in the electoral process.

“Disability does not mean you do not have capacity. Disability does not mean that you will not exercise your franchise. So go now and mobilise all your people,” he said.

Explaining the Rainbow Coalition arrangement, Wike said it was designed to bring political parties together in support of Tinubu without requiring them to surrender their respective political identities.

He commended the FCT chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for embracing the initiative, describing it as a platform for political cooperation and inclusive development.

He also assured non-indigenous residents of the FCT that the administration would sustain inclusive governance, stressing that Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds had a place in the territory’s political and administrative structure.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), Abiodun Essien, praised Wike for improving road infrastructure and connectivity across the FCT.

Essien, who also coordinates infrastructure mobilisation and the secretariat of the Presidential Campaign Council in the North-Central, said the Federal Government had completed 164 kilometres of roads across the six states in the region, while another 1,207 kilometres were under construction nationwide.

He disclosed that 850,000 students in the North-Central were benefiting from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.

Essien said the administration’s infrastructure projects demonstrated its commitment to national development and urged FCT residents to unite behind Tinubu.

Describing Abuja as a miniature Nigeria because of its diverse ethnic composition, he declared that residents would deliver overwhelming support for the President in 2027.

“We are here to tell Mr President that we will not just continue to support him; we are going to give him 100 per cent votes in Abuja. We are going to join hands together to make sure we deliver well come January 16, 2027,” he said.

Also speaking, the President of the FCT Stakeholders Assembly, Dr Aliyu Daniel Bakna Kwali, described the endorsement as a historic gathering that united indigenous communities and residents across political and religious divides.

Kwali attributed the growing confidence in the FCT Administration to Wike’s leadership and development efforts, particularly the road linking Uje, Gwagwalada, Ruruwoshi and Abaji.

He said the road would provide motorists with an alternative route during heavy traffic, especially during festive periods.

He also commended Aduda for his political leadership and support for the assembly.

Kwali disclosed that representatives of the territory’s 88 indigenous communities and other resident groups had made personal financial sacrifices to ensure the success of the event after an anticipated source of funding failed to materialise.

He explained that the FCT Stakeholders Assembly was neither a political party nor a religious organisation, but an umbrella body representing political parties, religious groups, indigenous communities and residents.

“We are a coalition of interests, and the interest is inclusive development of the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

The Renewed Hope Ambassador, Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido, described Wike’s appointment as FCT Minister as a blessing to Abuja, saying the Tinubu administration had brought democratic dividends closer to residents.

Candido said indigenous communities, including the Gbagyi, Bwari, Gana-Gana, Koro, Gade and Bassa, were beginning to enjoy improved representation in governance.

He urged Wike to sustain inclusive governance by ensuring adequate representation for the nine traditional chiefdoms and Nigerians from other ethnic groups living in the territory.

Describing Aduda as the best senator the FCT had produced, Candido called on residents to support Tinubu’s re-election, warning that the territory should not lose the gains of the current administration.

He also urged political stakeholders to distinguish genuine supporters from those he described as pretenders.

Speaking on behalf of the other APC National Assembly candidates, Aduda commended Tinubu for appointing Wike as FCT Minister, saying the administration had recorded significant progress in infrastructure and human capital development.

He listed the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Youth and Women Affairs Secretariats, removal of the FCT from the Treasury Single Account and upgrading of traditional institutions among the administration’s major achievements.

Aduda disclosed that 30 inherited projects had been completed, alongside 76 projects awarded by the Wike administration, while another 10 were expected to be completed before the end of the year.

He appealed to indigenous communities and other residents to sustain their support for Tinubu, assuring them that the candidates, if elected, would pursue legislation to promote good governance and development in the territory.

The FCT APC Chairman, Hon. Ishaku Tanko Yamawo, commended Wike for promoting cooperation across party lines, describing the Rainbow Coalition as a new approach to politics without bitterness.

His PDP counterpart, Samaila Muhammad Dogara, also endorsed the initiative, saying Tinubu’s decision to appoint a minister from outside the FCT political establishment had given the territory a stronger voice in the Federal Government.

Similarly, the AMAC Chairman and FCT ALGON Chairman, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, declared support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition on behalf of the six area council chairmen.

He, however, appealed to the FCT Administration to expedite the payment of outstanding compensation to indigenous people whose lands had been acquired for development and ensure their inclusion in future land allocations.

FCT youth groups, led by Youth Leader Yamawo Destiny and Resident Coordinator Felix Acka, also pledged their support for Wike and the Tinubu administration.

They commended the minister for establishing the FCT Youth Development Secretariat and appointing one of their members, Hon. Angwa Abdullahi, to head the agency. They also praised the establishment of a youth centre in Karu and interventions in infrastructure and security.

The youth leaders said the projects had improved residents’ lives and helped curb criminal activities around flyovers and bridges. They, however, appealed to Wike to grant them an audience to discuss issues affecting young people in the territory.

Acka described the gathering as a historic convergence of more than 858 communities across the FCT’s 17 chiefdoms, united in support of the minister’s development initiatives.

He reaffirmed the group’s support for Aduda’s return to the Senate in 2027, describing him as a leader who had consistently supported indigenous people and other residents without discrimination.

He also commended Comrade Isaac David for bringing traditional rulers, community leaders, women and other stakeholders together to promote unity and harmony.

Acka appealed to Wike to provide vehicles for grassroots mobilisation, saying inadequate transportation remained a major challenge for youth and resident groups seeking to reach communities across the territory.

Traditional rulers, including the Ona of Abaji and Permanent Chairman of the FCT Council of Chiefs, His Royal Majesty, Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, alongside other inter-tribal traditional leaders, also pledged their support for Wike and the endorsed candidates.

The meeting ended with a collective commitment by political leaders, traditional rulers, youth and women groups, and representatives of different political parties to mobilise support for Tinubu and the endorsed National Assembly candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.