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• says offer is incentive for hard work, political mobilisation
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has insisted that his promise of N10 million to councillors who deliver their respective wards for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections does not amount to vote-buying.
Wike said the proposed reward was intended to encourage political commitment and hard work among the councillors, not to induce voters to support a particular candidate.
The minister, who spoke on Tuesday during an inspection tour of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja, dismissed criticisms trailing the offer, maintaining that there was a clear difference between rewarding political mobilisation and buying votes.
“I didn’t tell them, ‘Take this money and go and buy votes.’ I said, ‘Go and work. Show commitment. Demonstrate that you really mean what you are talking about. When you win, come and we are going to reward you,’” he said.
To justify the offer, Wike compared it to incentives given to athletes who win international competitions, arguing that promises of houses and other benefits are routinely used to motivate outstanding performances.
He questioned why a similar reward system in politics should be interpreted as bribery, insisting that the councillors were being challenged to demonstrate their capacity to mobilise support and deliver electoral victories.
The minister also criticised sections of the media for what he described as a failure to distinguish between legitimate rewards and vote-buying.
He argued that political parties and candidates routinely spend money on campaign advertisements and other mobilisation activities, challenging journalists to apply the same scrutiny while distinguishing such expenditure from financial inducements to voters.
Wike’s defence comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the minister reiterating his support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Speaking on the infrastructure projects inspected, Wike expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on Interchange Section 2 (ISEX 2), Southern Parkway and S1 Road, which incorporates a fire station.
He said the projects were on course for completion by December 15, ahead of the January 16, 2027 general elections.
According to him, the infrastructure projects being executed by the Tinubu administration would provide a strong basis for the President’s re-election campaign.
Wike maintained that his support for Tinubu was driven by development rather than party affiliation, arguing that Nigerians who genuinely desire progress should support policies and programmes aimed at national development.
