I Didn’t Tell Councillors To Take Money And Buy Votes, I Said Go And Work And Show Commitment – Wike

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended his decision to promise councillors ₦10 million each for securing electoral victories for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in their respective wards during the 2027 general elections.

Wike maintained that the proposed financial incentive was designed to reward political commitment, effective mobilisation, and measurable electoral performance rather than encourage vote-buying or influence voters through monetary inducements.

The minister made this clarification on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, while speaking with journalists during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja.

His comments followed public criticism of his earlier declaration that councillors who successfully deliver their wards to Tinubu and other APC candidates would receive ₦10 million as a reward for their efforts.

Addressing the controversy, the former Rivers State governor insisted that he never instructed the councillors to share money among residents or offer financial incentives to persuade people to vote for a particular candidate.

According to him, his message was simply for the councillors to intensify their political activities, engage relevant groups, and demonstrate their ability to secure support for the party before expecting any reward.

“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.'”

The FCT minister argued that rewarding political workers for meeting specific targets should not automatically be classified as electoral bribery.

To strengthen his argument, he compared the proposed arrangement with incentive programmes in sports, where athletes receive financial rewards after winning medals or achieving outstanding results in competitions.

He explained that such rewards are generally introduced to encourage dedication, discipline, and better performance, questioning why a similar approach in political mobilisation should generate controversy.

Wike also pointed out that individuals and organisations frequently promise material benefits to people who successfully accomplish assigned responsibilities or meet established targets.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the way some media organisations had interpreted his earlier statement, arguing that there should be a clear distinction between paying voters to influence their choices and rewarding political representatives for carrying out campaign activities.

He argued that rewarding grassroots political mobilisers for their efforts should not be treated differently without considering the circumstances surrounding the arrangement.

Wike also offered his own explanation of vote-buying, describing it as a situation in which individuals receive money specifically in exchange for voting for a particular candidate.

He stated, “Votes buying is giving someone money to go and vote for a specific candidate.”

The minister maintained that his proposal did not fall into that category because the intended beneficiaries were councillors expected to undertake political mobilisation and deliver electoral results in their respective communities.

Recall that while addressing the councillors during his earlier political engagement, Wike had announced the proposed financial incentive and urged them to strengthen their relationships with grassroots organisations.

He encouraged the local government representatives to engage community leaders, youth associations, political stakeholders, and other relevant groups to improve the APC’s electoral chances ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get ₦10 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.”

While Wike insists that the proposed ₦10 million payment is a performance-based reward for political workers, the arrangement has attracted public attention because it links a substantial financial benefit to electoral outcomes in individual wards.

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