ABUJA, Nigeria — Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that the territory is firmly positioned to deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, claiming that political stakeholders from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are closing ranks behind the President.
Wike made the declaration on Wednesday in Abuja while meeting political leaders and stakeholders from both parties in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), at an engagement attended by party officials, traditional rulers, women’s groups and youth representatives.
Describing the gathering as one of his happiest days, the minister said partisan divisions were giving way to cooperation in the interest of development and political progress in the capital territory.
Wike, who serves as coordinator of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the FCT and Rivers State, credited Tinubu’s administration with what he described as significant improvements in infrastructure and governance across the territory.
He cited the Apo-Karshi Road project, which he said had stalled for 16 years, as an example of the administration’s infrastructure drive. He also highlighted the elevation of career civil servants to permanent secretary and head-of-service positions, as well as the establishment of women and youth secretariats to address the needs of those groups.
Defending the Federal Government’s removal of the fuel subsidy, Wike described the decision as a difficult but necessary measure that previous administrations had lacked the political will to implement.
“Every president said it was a scam, but nobody had the courage to say it would go. That is the pain we will endure till we get it right,” he said.
The minister also argued that increased statutory allocations to state and local governments had improved their financial capacity, reduced dependence on commercial bank borrowing and created opportunities for infrastructure development at the grassroots.
Turning to the 2027 election, Wike urged residents, particularly young voters, to support Tinubu and candidates aligned with the administration.
He announced that a comprehensive campaign council would be inaugurated the following week and assured supporters that the necessary logistical arrangements for the campaign had been secured.
“The comprehensive campaign council will be inaugurated next week. Be rest assured that all logistical backing required for a landslide victory has been fully secured,” Wike said.
He urged eligible voters to turn out with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) on election day and vote for Tinubu and the administration’s preferred candidates.
The political gathering also featured declarations of support from APC and PDP leaders in the FCT, who portrayed the engagement as a departure from years of intense partisan rivalry.
FCT APC Chairman, Ishaku Yamawo, praised Wike for what he described as changes to the physical landscape and political atmosphere of the capital.
Yamawo said party differences had previously prevented political associates and even family members from cooperating during election periods, but argued that the meeting demonstrated that political affiliation need not prevent collaboration.
He also commended Tinubu for addressing concerns among FCT indigenous communities, citing the appointment of an indigene as a minister and infrastructure projects involving communities such as Gishiri and Guzape. He further referred to road development and compensation for affected residents.
FCT PDP Chairman, Mohammed Dogara, similarly declared that political hostility between the parties was giving way to cooperation.
“It used to be cats and rats, not seeing themselves in the day or night. But today, cats and rats can eat on the same plate,” Dogara said.
He questioned why FCT residents, both indigenous and non-indigenous, should oppose Tinubu if they believed the administration was delivering development. Dogara added that the PDP structure in the territory would mobilise at the grassroots level from January 16, 2027, to support the President.
The District Head of Jikoyi, Nicodemus Marchi, praised Wike’s leadership, comparing his arrival as FCT minister to a cool breeze that had restored stability and progress.
Marchi credited the minister with addressing security concerns, reviving abandoned road projects and improving the status of traditional institutions. He also cited the upgrading of some local traditional stools from second-class to first-class status after what he described as 29 years of neglect.
Representing youth interests, Musa Jeji, Chairman of the FCT Gbagyi Youth Forum, AMAC Chapter, said organised youth associations across the council’s wards were prepared to mobilise for Tinubu’s re-election.
Former FCT APC Women Leader, Hilary Aipoh, also commended Wike for establishing the Women Affairs Secretariat and improving rural access roads, which she said would benefit farmers and rural communities.
Aipoh described AMAC’s reported 1,400 polling units as a major political battleground in the FCT and urged the minister to ensure that women were directly represented in the campaign structure.
The declarations at the meeting signal an effort by Wike and allied political stakeholders to build a cross-party campaign network ahead of the 2027 presidential election. However, the political endorsements expressed at the gathering do not, by themselves, establish the eventual voting choices of residents across the FCT.
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