N10m for FCT councillors not vote-buying – Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended his promise to reward any councillor who delivered his ward to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections with N10 million naira, insisting the offer is an incentive for hard work, not vote-buying.
Wike spoke on Tuesday during an inspection tour of ongoing infrastructure projects in the FCT, arguing that there was a clear distinction between rewarding political mobilisation and offering money to voters in exchange for their support.
The minister had, on Monday, November 9, while addressing stakeholders, traditional rulers and political actors in Kwali Area Council, promised N10 million to each councillor who delivered his or her ward to Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The promise attracted criticism from some quarters over its implications for the electoral process.
“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get N10 million reward. Therefore, go and meet your leaders, go and meet your youth groups, go and consult with associations. Let’s deliver our ward to Mr President,” Wike had told the gathering.
The FCT minister made the promise while responding to concerns raised by local leaders over the welfare and remuneration of councillors.
The Chairman of the National Councillors Forum of Nigeria (FCT Chapter), Gambo Hamza, had drawn attention to the disparity in the earnings of councillors, disclosing that they received a monthly salary of N260,000, which Wike described as unacceptable.
Meanwhile, while defending his promise against allegations of vote-buying, Wike said he did not ask the councillors to give money to voters or induce them to support a particular candidate but challenged them to demonstrate their political commitment through effective mobilisation.
“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,’” he said.
To buttress his argument, the minister compared the proposed reward to incentives given to athletes who win international competitions, noting that promises of houses and other benefits were intended to encourage commitment and outstanding performance.
He cited instances where athletes were promised houses and other rewards for returning from competitions with trophies, questioning why similar incentives in politics should automatically be regarded as bribery.
Wike also criticised sections of the media for what he described as their failure to distinguish between legitimate rewards and vote-buying.
He argued that political parties and candidates routinely spend money on campaign advertisements without attracting similar scrutiny.
The minister challenged journalists to pay greater attention to the distinction between financial inducements intended to influence voters and rewards promised to political mobilisers for achieving set targets.
