The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has challenged supporters of President Bola Tinubu to translate their political endorsement into votes in the January 16, 2027 election, insisting that every stakeholder must deliver their polling unit, ward, local government and state.
Wike gave the charge 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 brought together traditional rulers, political leaders, area council chairmen, indigenous communities and residents, who 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.
The minister cautioned political stakeholders against claiming credit for electoral victories without making meaningful contributions at the grassroots, stressing that genuine support must be demonstrated through votes at polling units.
“Deliver your polling unit, deliver your ward, deliver your local government, deliver your state,” he declared.
He added: “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.”
Wike, who described the endorsement as a significant political development, thanked the traditional rulers, political leaders, area council chairmen and residents for supporting the initiative.
He urged the people not to repeat what he described as the mistake of the 2023 general election, saying the forthcoming 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 said.
The minister called on residents to support Aduda, whom he described as their son, father and friend, arguing that effective representation required a senator who understood the people’s concerns and remained accessible to constituents.
Questioning the performance of the incumbent senator, Wike asked whether the current representative had demonstrated sufficient concern for the welfare of FCT residents or maintained regular contact 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 asked.
He said the stakeholders had resolved to support Aduda as their preferred candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.
Wike also attributed the endorsement of Tinubu to the President’s interventions in infrastructure development and institutional reforms in the FCT, particularly the upgrading of traditional institutions.
According to him, successive administrations had failed to upgrade the territory’s traditional institutions for 27 years until Tinubu approved the exercise.
He disclosed that the President had also 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,” he said.
The minister said traditional institutions deserved greater attention and empowerment because of their contributions to peace, community development and the preservation of cultural heritage.
He commended the six area council chairmen for cooperating with the FCT Administration despite their different political affiliations, noting that their collaboration had contributed to development across the territory.
Wike said the administration had recorded progress in the city centre and satellite communities because the council chairmen had agreed to work together in the interest of residents.
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.
He said the Civil Service Commission had created opportunities for career advancement 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.
Addressing concerns raised by youth representatives over their request for an audience, Wike apologised for the delay, explaining that his political responsibilities in Rivers State and the FCT had made his schedule demanding.
He, however, announced November 10 for a meeting with youths from the six area councils.
The minister also disclosed that he had secured Tinubu’s approval for the provision of four buses to support 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 to ensure a strong turnout on election day.
Wike also promised a separate meeting with persons with disabilities, urging them to 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.
On the Rainbow Coalition, the minister explained that the arrangement was designed to unite political parties behind Tinubu without compelling them to abandon their respective political identities.
He commended the FCT chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for supporting the initiative, describing it as an opportunity to promote political cooperation beyond party affiliations.
He said the coalition was driven by the need for unity and inclusive development rather than narrow partisan interests.
Wike also assured non-indigenous residents that the FCT Administration would sustain inclusive governance, noting that Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds were represented in the territory’s administration.
He said Tinubu believed in a government that accommodated both indigenous people and other Nigerians living in the FCT.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-Central), Abiodun Essien, commended Wike for improving road connectivity across the territory, describing the minister’s infrastructure projects as significant achievements that would feature prominently in the 2027 campaign.
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 also disclosed that 850,000 students in the North-Central were benefiting from the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
According to him, major infrastructure projects, including road corridors connecting communities across the North-Central and other regions, demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to national development.
Describing Abuja as a miniature Nigeria because of its diverse ethnic composition, Essien urged residents to unite behind the President.
“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 initiative that brought together 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 periods of heavy traffic, especially during festive seasons.
He also commended Aduda for his political leadership and sustained support for the assembly, describing him as an important figure in FCT politics.
Kwali praised representatives of the territory’s 88 indigenous communities and other resident groups for their sacrifices towards organising the event.
He disclosed that members had made personal financial contributions, including from their life savings, after an anticipated source of funding failed to materialise shortly before the programme.
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, adding that the Rainbow Coalition reflected the assembly’s commitment to unity and collective development.
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 and government closer to the people.
Candido said indigenous communities, including the Gbagyi, Bwari, Gana-Gana, Koro, Gade and Bassa, were beginning to enjoy better representation in governance.
While commending Wike for extending development to indigenous people and other residents, he urged the minister to sustain the policy of inclusiveness 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 urged residents to support Tinubu’s re-election, insisting that the territory could not afford to lose what he described as the gains of the present administration.
He said he had toured the 17 graded chiefdoms and witnessed traditional rulers’ support for Wike’s development initiatives. He urged political stakeholders to distinguish genuine supporters from those he described as pretenders.
Recalling his tenure as chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Candido said he had promoted ethnic balance by appointing people from different parts of the country to key positions.
He maintained that such inclusiveness should be sustained at the FCT level to ensure that every ethnic group had a sense of belonging, while recognising the traditional institutions of the nine chiefdoms.
Candido pledged the support of the Renewed Hope movement for Tinubu and expressed confidence that the APC would win the 2027 elections.
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 achievements in infrastructure and human capital development.
He listed the establishment of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Youth and Women Secretariats, removal of the FCT from the Treasury Single Account and upgrading of traditional institutions among the administration’s major interventions.
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 urged indigenous people and other residents to sustain their support for Tinubu, assuring them that the candidates, if elected, would promote legislation to strengthen good governance and development in the territory.
The FCT APC Chairman, Hon. Ishaku Tanko Yamawo, praised Wike for fostering political cooperation across party lines, describing the Rainbow Coalition as a new approach to politics without bitterness.
His PDP counterpart, Samaila Muhammad Dogara, also backed 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, endorsed Tinubu’s second-term bid on behalf of the six area council chairmen.
He, however, appealed to the FCT Administration to expedite 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 the minister’s interventions in infrastructure and security.
The youth leaders said the development 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 their constituency, noting that they had already submitted a formal request to his office.
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 said residents were backing Wike because of what they considered his impressive performance, particularly in infrastructure and security.
Acka also reaffirmed their 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 commended Comrade Isaac David for bringing traditional rulers, community leaders, women and other stakeholders together to promote unity and harmony across the territory.
Acka, however, appealed to Wike to provide vehicles to facilitate grassroots mobilisation, saying inadequate transportation had become a major challenge for youth and resident groups seeking to reach communities across the FCT.
Traditional rulers, including the Ona of Abaji and Permanent Chairman of the FCT Council of Chiefs, His Royal Majesty, Alhaji (Dr.) Adamu Baba Yunusa, alongside other inter-tribal traditional leaders, also pledged their support for Wike and the endorsed candidates.
The meeting ended with participants pledging to work together ahead of the 2027 general election, with the coalition bringing together traditional rulers, political leaders, area council chairmen, youth and women groups, and representatives of different political parties.