…Reiterates Warning Against ‘Political Gamblers’, Backs Tinubu, Aduda
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that residents of the territory will not repeat the political mistakes of the 2023 general elections, urging them to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Wike, who spoke on Thursday, at an interactive session organised by the Rainbow Coalition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, also endorsed Senator Philip Aduda and John Gbadaya under the coalition’s political arrangement.
He cautioned residents against politicians he described as “political gamblers”, insisting that the ongoing infrastructure projects and other interventions in the FCT justified support for the Tinubu administration.
“The mistake we made in 2023, would we make that mistake again? If it was an error, would we make that error again?” Wike asked, drawing a negative response from the audience.
The minister said the Rainbow Coalition was established to unite politicians across party lines and promote the interests of FCT residents, arguing that political affiliation should not take precedence over development.
“It doesn't matter the party. After all, party is a vehicle that conveys you to where you are going. When you get there, you come down from the vehicle and you now work for the interest of the people,” he said.
Wike urged residents to assess their political representatives based on their accessibility and commitment to addressing the needs of communities across the territory.
Questioning the performance of the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, the Minister asked whether residents felt the impact of their representative and whether she had visited traditional rulers, women and youths to understand their challenges.
“Today, the people of FCT, do you feel the impact? Do you feel the presence of the senator representing FCT today?” he asked.
Presenting Aduda to the gathering, Wike described the former senator as a politician who understood the concerns of FCT residents and urged participants to support him.
“So, I am here today to present to you your own son. The man who understands when you are sleeping. The man who knows when you are crying. The man who knows when Gombe people are in need. Senator Philip Aduda,” he said.
The minister also endorsed Tinubu’s second-term ambition, attributing the progress recorded in the FCT to the President’s support and approval of major projects.
According to him, the President’s commitment had enabled the administration to address infrastructure deficits and longstanding demands across the territory.
“All these things are being done because somebody is responsible. If the person does not agree with the minister doing anything, nothing will happen,” Wike said.
He further announced that the Gombe-Kubwa road project would be ready for use by December, assuring residents that the administration would continue to address their infrastructure concerns.
“Let me authoritatively tell you today, by the grace of God, this December, you will do Christmas on this road, Gombe to Kubwa,” he said.
Wike also disclosed that political negotiations had led to the PDP Chairmanship Candidate in the last Area Council
elections, Julius Adamu, stepping down in favour of Joshua, chairman of Bwari Area Council, describing the decision as an example of putting collective interests above personal ambition.
He said the move was intended to strengthen political unity and consolidate support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
The minister added that he would recommend Julius Adamu for a position in the FCT Universal Basic Education Commission, saying cooperation among political stakeholders was necessary to achieve the coalition’s objectives.
Meanwhile, a women leader from Bwari Area Council, Deborah Ayorinde, commended Wike for his political intervention in the territory but appealed to him to sustain his support for the council.
Ayorinde described Bwari as one of the area councils that had suffered prolonged marginalisation, expressing hope that the minister’s interventions would improve the situation.
“Among the six Area Councils we have in FCT, Bwari Area Council is the most neglected. Because Bwari Area Council has been marginalised for long. Your arrival reawakens our hope,” she said.
She praised Wike for supporting Joshua’s emergence as chairman, recalling that the minister had previously asked Julius Adamu, a political stakeholder, to step down in the interest of the council’s political arrangement.
Citing the biblical principle that people rejoice when the righteous are in authority, Ayorinde said residents were encouraged by Wike’s involvement in their affairs.
“The Bible that I believe says, when the righteous person is in power, the people rejoice. We are rejoicing because we have you as our father,” she said.
She, however, appealed to the minister to continue supporting the area council to ensure a peaceful and successful electoral process.
“Please, sir, I am here this morning to plead, to beg, to solicit. We want to win our election in Bwari Area Council smoothly,” she added.
Ayorinde also expressed confidence that residents would support Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
Earlier, FCT APC Chairman, Tanko Yamawo, commended Wike for fostering cooperation among politicians from different parties, recalling how political divisions had previously prevented members of rival parties from openly associating with one another.
Yamawo narrated an experience in which a former PDP chairman declined a ride in his car because he feared that entering the vehicle of an APC member could cost him his position.
He said the situation had changed, with politicians from both parties now working together under the Rainbow Coalition.
“What you have done today is not for Aduda, Gabaya and Chiya to benefit, but all of us as politicians in FCT are going to benefit from what you have started today,” he said.
Yamawo expressed confidence that Bwari residents would support APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
Similarly, FCT PDP Chairman, Ismaila Dogara, said the Rainbow Coalition had come to stay, adding that party members had embraced the arrangement and were ready to work together in support of Tinubu.
Dogara urged Wike to convey the expectations of FCT residents to the President, describing the period as an opportunity for the territory to reciprocate the administration’s interventions.
Traditional rulers at the gathering also commended the minister for ongoing infrastructure projects while appealing for additional attention to roads and other facilities in their communities.
The Sarkin Bwari, Alhaji Awwal Musa Ijakoro II, praised the administration for water projects and road construction around Tokulo, Ushafa and the Bwari-Zuba axis.
He appealed for the rehabilitation of the road linking the Army Checkpoint to central Bwari, describing it as a major concern for residents.
The Esu of Bwari, Dr Ibrahim Yaro, also commended the minister’s infrastructure efforts and called for attention to roads linking Karu, Mpape and neighbouring communities.
In his welcome address, Bwari Area Council Chairman, Joshua, thanked Wike for his political support, recalling that residents had responded positively when the minister previously urged them to support his candidacy.
He said ongoing projects across the FCT had strengthened public confidence in the administration and pledged continued cooperation with the minister.
The meeting formed part of the Rainbow Coalition’s political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with APC and PDP stakeholders pledging to work together in support of Tinubu and candidates endorsed under the coalition’s arrangement.
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