The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended his promise to give councillors ₦10 million each for securing electoral victories for President Bola Tinubu in their respective wards during the 2027 general elections.
Wike dismissed allegations that the financial incentive amounted to vote-buying, insisting that the money was intended to reward political mobilisation, commitment and hard work rather than influence voters with cash.
The minister made the clarification on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja.
According to him, he never instructed the councillors to use the promised money to induce residents to vote for a particular candidate. Instead, he challenged them to work towards securing electoral support and promised to reward them if they achieved the target.
“I didn’t tell them, ‘Take this money and go and buy votes.’ I said, ‘Go and work. Show commitment. Demonstrate that you really mean what you are talking about. When you win, come, and we are going to reward you,” Wike said.
The controversy followed his announcement at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali Area Council, Abuja, on Monday, where he promised ₦10 million to every councillor who delivers their ward for Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 elections.
At the meeting, Wike urged the councillors to engage community leaders, youth groups and various associations to mobilise support for the President.
Defending the arrangement, the FCT minister compared the proposed reward to incentives given to athletes who win international competitions.
He argued that promising individuals financial benefits for outstanding performance should not automatically be regarded as bribery, questioning why a similar arrangement in politics was attracting criticism.
Wike also accused sections of the media of failing to distinguish between rewarding political workers for their efforts and giving voters money to influence their electoral decisions.
He further argued that political parties and candidates routinely spend substantial amounts on campaign advertisements without facing similar criticism.
The minister maintained that rewarding political mobilisers for achieving electoral targets was different from directly inducing voters to support a candidate.
His comments come amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Wike reiterating his support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The ₦10 million pledge has, however, generated debate over the distinction between political mobilisation incentives and financial inducements in Nigeria’s electoral process.
