The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has pledged a financial reward of ₦10 million to each councillor in the Territory’s six area councils should they deliver their respective wards to President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress candidates in the 2027 elections.
Wike made the commitment on Monday, November 9, during a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting held in Kwali Area Council. The gathering drew traditional rulers, political stakeholders and residents from the area.
Addressing the councillors directly, the minister framed the pledge as an incentive for grassroots mobilisation. “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 said.
Should all 62 councillors across the FCT succeed in securing victory for the president and other APC candidates in the nation’s capital, the promise would amount to a total payout of ₦620 million.
The Structure of the FCT and the Scale of the Pledge
The Federal Capital Territory comprises six area councils: Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje and Kwali. Together they contain 62 electoral wards and councillorship positions. AMAC accounts for 12 wards, while each of the remaining five councils has 10.
The announcement comes as political mobilisation intensifies ahead of the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027. Wike has openly committed his political structure to Tinubu’s re-election bid.
A PDP Chieftain Backing an APC President
Wike’s political position adds a distinctive dimension to the arrangement. A member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, he was appointed minister by Tinubu in 2023 and has remained in the party since then. Despite his PDP membership, the former Rivers State governor wields considerable influence among APC public officeholders in the FCT.
In the build-up to the 2027 polls, Wike formed the Rainbow Coalition, a platform through which members of different political parties, including the ruling APC and the PDP, will support Tinubu’s re-election for a second and final term while voting for candidates of their choice in other elections.
Concerns Over Electoral Inducement
The pledge has raised questions about electoral inducement and the use of financial incentives to influence political activity ahead of the 2027 polls. Section 125 of the Electoral Act 2026 provides that 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 to 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 potential ₦620 million payout or how the funds would be disbursed.
The proposed reward also sits against the backdrop of statutory limits on campaign expenditure. Section 92(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 caps the election expenses of a presidential candidate at ₦10 billion. Governorship candidates are limited to ₦3 billion, senatorial candidates to ₦500 million and House of Representatives candidates to ₦250 million.
Timing Follows SUV Procurement for Traditional Rulers
Wike’s promise comes days after he procured brand-new Sport Utility Vehicles for traditional rulers in the FCT. That decision attracted criticism from political commentators, who questioned the spending amid competing development needs in the 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.
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?” he said.
“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.”
Endorsements and Confidence in APC’s Chances
At the Kwali meeting, Wike declared support for Tinubu’s re-election and endorsed Philip Aduda, a former senator, for the FCT Senate seat, as well as 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.
Criticism of Opposition Reactions to Judicial Decisions
Wike also took aim at opposition politicians over their responses to court rulings, particularly the judgment that voided the ticket of the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. He accused opposition figures of praising the judiciary when 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,'” 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?”
What the Pledge Means for the 2027 Contest
The offer places the FCT’s councillors at the centre of Wike’s political strategy for the 2027 elections. With 62 wards across six area councils, the councillors occupy the grassroots tier closest to voters, and the minister’s message was explicit about the role he expects them to play in mobilising leaders, youth groups and community associations.
Yet the pledge leaves several questions unanswered, including its funding source and disbursement mechanism, while the legal framework governing electoral bribery and campaign spending continues to shadow the arrangement. For now, the commitment stands as one of the most concrete financial incentives announced ahead of the 2027 polls, and it is likely to keep the debate over money and electoral influence firmly in public view.
