Wike Offers PDP Candidate Job After Election Withdrawal

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has pledged to recommend a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate for a seat on the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (FCT-UBEB) after he stepped down to support the incumbent Bwari Area Council chairman, Joshua Ishaku.

Wike made the pledge on Thursday at a meeting of the Rainbow Coalition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP in Bwari, Abuja, where he also urged residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

The former PDP candidate, Julius Adamu, withdrew from the chairmanship contest in support of Ishaku during the political process that preceded the incumbent chairman’s emergence.

The meeting was attended by political stakeholders, traditional rulers, women leaders and supporters of both parties.

Wike urged residents to consider the Tinubu administration’s interventions in the FCT when deciding whom to support in the 2027 elections, attributing ongoing infrastructure projects in the territory to the President’s backing.

“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.

He cautioned residents against politicians he described as “political gamblers” and said the Rainbow Coalition was intended to unite politicians across party lines.

Wike argued that party affiliation should not take precedence over development, urging residents to assess their representatives based on their accessibility, responsiveness and commitment to addressing community needs.

“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.

The minister also questioned the performance of the senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, asking residents whether they had felt her impact and whether she had visited traditional rulers, women and youths to understand their concerns.

He endorsed former senator Philip Aduda and John Gbadaya under the coalition’s political arrangement, presenting Aduda as a politician familiar with the needs of FCT residents.

“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,” he said.

Wike said the President’s approval had enabled the FCT Administration to undertake major infrastructure projects and address longstanding demands across the territory.

“All these things are being done because somebody is responsible. If the person does not agree with the minister doing anything, nothing will happen,” he said.

He announced that the Gombe-Kubwa road would be ready for use by December, expressing confidence that the project would ease movement for residents.

“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.

The minister also assured traditional rulers that requests for the construction of the Kogo-Bwari and Mpape-Galowoyi roads would be considered.

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Explaining his pledge to recommend Adamu for a position on the FCT-UBEB, Wike said the former PDP candidate deserved consideration for his humility and willingness to put collective political interests ahead of personal ambition.

The pledge followed an appeal by the Bwari women leader, Deborah Ayorinde, who asked Wike to recognise Adamu for supporting the council’s political arrangement.

Ayorinde also urged the minister to sustain his attention to Bwari, describing the area council as one that had suffered prolonged marginalisation.

“Among the six Area Councils we have in FCT, Bwari Area Council is the most neglected. Because Bwari Area Council has been marginalised for long. Your arrival reawakens our hope,” she said.

She appealed for the minister’s continued support and called for a peaceful electoral process.

“Please, sir, I am here this morning to plead, to beg, to solicit. We want to win our election in Bwari Area Council smoothly,” she added.

Ayorinde also expressed confidence that residents would support Tinubu in 2027.

The FCT APC Chairman, Tanko Yamawo, commended Wike for bringing politicians from rival parties together, recalling that political divisions had previously discouraged members of the APC and PDP from associating openly.

He recounted an incident in which a former PDP chairman declined a ride in his car because he feared that being seen with an APC member could cost him his position.

Yamawo said the coalition had encouraged cooperation among politicians from both parties.

“What you have done today is not for Aduda, Gabaya and Chiya to benefit, but all of us as politicians in FCT are going to benefit from what you have started today,” he said.

He expressed confidence that Bwari residents would support APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

The FCT PDP Chairman, Ismaila Dogara, also declared that the coalition had come to stay, saying party members had embraced the arrangement and were prepared to work together in support of Tinubu.

Dogara urged Wike to convey the expectations of FCT residents to the President, describing the period as an opportunity for the territory to reciprocate the administration’s interventions.

Ishaku thanked Wike for his political support, recalling that residents had responded positively to the minister’s previous appeal for them to support his candidacy.

He said ongoing projects across the FCT had strengthened public confidence in the administration and pledged continued cooperation with the minister.

Traditional rulers at the meeting commended the FCT Administration for ongoing infrastructure projects but called for more attention to roads and other facilities in their communities.

The Sarkin Bwari, Alhaji Awwal Musa Ijakoro II, praised water projects and road construction around Tokulo, Ushafa and the Bwari-Zuba axis. He appealed for the rehabilitation of the road linking the Army Checkpoint to central Bwari, describing it as a major concern for residents.

The Esu of Bwari, Dr Ibrahim Yaro, also commended the minister’s infrastructure efforts and called for improvements to roads linking Karu, Mpape and neighbouring communities.

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