The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has secured declarations of support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid from All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in Abuja.
The declarations came on Wednesday during a meeting with political leaders and stakeholders in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where participants pledged to mobilise voters for Tinubu despite their different party affiliations.
The meeting brought together party officials, traditional rulers, women’s groups and youth representatives.
Wike, who coordinates the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the FCT and Rivers State, said partisan differences should not prevent political leaders from working together. He described the gathering as one of his happiest days and argued that previous administrations had neglected the structural integration of the nation’s capital.
He credited Tinubu’s administration with accelerating infrastructure projects and addressing longstanding concerns among FCT residents, citing the Apo-Karshi Road, which he said had stalled for 16 years before work resumed.
Wike also pointed to the appointment of career civil servants as permanent secretaries and head of service, as well as the establishment of the Women Affairs and Youth Development Secretariats, as evidence of the administration’s efforts to broaden representation in the FCT.
Defending the removal of the fuel subsidy, the minister described it as a difficult but necessary decision that previous administrations had been unwilling 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.
He also argued that higher statutory allocations to state and local governments had reduced their dependence on commercial bank borrowing and created room for faster infrastructure development.
Wike said the comprehensive campaign council would be inaugurated the following week and urged residents to vote for Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
“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.
“On election day, come out with your PVCs, cast your votes, and ensure total victory for Tinubu and our progressive candidates,” he said.
The AMAC Chairman, Christopher Maikalangu, expressed confidence in the coalition’s mobilisation efforts, identifying traditional rulers, indigenous communities and non-indigenes as important groups in the campaign.
The APC Chairman in the FCT, Ishaku Yamawo, also praised Wike, saying the meeting showed that political affiliations no longer prevented leaders from working together.
“Before now, when elections were approaching, some of us didn’t talk to our own brothers because they were in the other party.
“Today, we are sitting under the same roof for APC and PDP because somebody has changed the narrative of politics. A political party is not a barrier to partnering with your brother for victory and progress,” he said.
Yamawo also commended Tinubu for addressing grievances among FCT indigenes, including appointing an indigene to a ministerial position and extending infrastructure projects to communities such as Gishiri and Guzape, alongside monetary compensation.
The FCT PDP Chairman, Mohammed Dogara, backed the proposed cooperation, saying the longstanding hostility between the two parties in the territory was giving way to collaboration.
“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.
“When Wike came to the FCT, he saw that development is key. What reason do we have as FCT indigenes and non-indigenes to say we are not going to support Mr President? No reason,” Dogara said.
He said the PDP structure, from party officials to grassroots members, would mobilise support for Tinubu by January 16, 2027. He also urged traditional rulers and community leaders to encourage residents to support development.
The District Head of Jikoyi, Nicodemus Marchi, described Wike’s appointment as FCT minister as a turning point for stability and development in the territory.
Marchi credited the minister with addressing security concerns, reviving abandoned road projects and upgrading traditional institutions, including the elevation of some local chiefs from second-class to first-class status after 29 years.
The Chairman of the FCT Gbagyi Youth Forum, AMAC Chapter, Musa Jeji, said youth associations across the council’s wards were ready to mobilise support for Tinubu.
A former APC Women Leader in the FCT, Hilmary Aipoh, also commended Wike for establishing the Women Affairs Secretariat and opening rural access roads for farmers.
Aipoh described AMAC’s 4,400 polling units as a major battleground in the FCT and urged Wike to ensure women were directly represented in the campaign structure.
