2027: 2023 mistakes won’t be repeated in FCT, Wike vows

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that residents of the FCT will not repeat the political mistakes of the 2023 general election, urging them to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Wike said this 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, on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

The minister, who also endorsed Philip Aduda and John Gbadaya under the coalition’s political arrangement, warned residents against politicians he described as “political gamblers”, stressing 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.

Wike 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 FCT.

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,” the former two-term governor of Rivers State added.

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.

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Wike 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 Adamu for a position in the FCT Universal Basic Education Commission, saying cooperation among political stakeholders was necessary to achieve the coalition’s objectives.

Wike 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.

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.

She commended Wike for supporting Joshua’s emergence as chairman, recalling that the minister had previously asked 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,” Ayorinde said.