Stirring the political waters in the nation’s capital Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has declared that the political missteps recorded in the territory during the 2023 general elections will not be repeated as the country charts a course towards the 2027 polls.
Addressing a mammoth gathering of area council chairmen traditional rulers youth organisations and key chieftains from both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wike maintained that the FCT is firmly locked down for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Laying bare his strategy for absolute electoral dominance the minister emphasised that the collective interest of FCT residents supersedes partisan divides.
He described the coming together of the major political platforms as a ‘rainbow coalition’ designed to protect the welfare of the people.
At the interactive session in Bwari Area Council Abuja Wike 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 which party. After all a party is a vehicle that gets you where you are going. When you get there you step out of the vehicle and work in the interests of the people’ he said.
Wike urged residents to assess their political representatives by their accessibility and commitment to addressing communities’ needs across the territory.
Questioning the performance of the senator representing the FCT Ireti Kingibe the Minister asked whether residents felt their representative’s impact 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 FCT residents’ concerns 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 FCT’s progress to the President’s support for major projects.
He said the President’s commitment 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 said political negotiations led the PDP Chairmanship Candidate in the last Area Council elections Julius Adamu to step 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.
Bwari Area Council Women leader Deborah Ayorinde commended Wike for his political intervention in the territory but appealed to him to sustain his support for the council.
Earlier FCT APC Chairman Tanko Yamawo commended Wike for fostering cooperation among politicians from different parties recalling how political divisions had previously kept members of rival parties from openly associating with one another.
Yamawo recounted an experience in which a former PDP chairman declined a ride in his car because he feared that entering an APC member’s vehicle 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 the 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 to support Tinubu.
Dogara urged Wike to convey FCT residents’ expectations 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 and appealed 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.