Wike Defends ₦10m Reward for Councillors, Rejects Vote-Buying Claims

• Wike has defended his proposed ₦10m reward for councillors who deliver their wards for Tinubu in 2027, describing it as an incentive for political mobilisation.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has rejected claims that his promise to reward councillors with ₦10 million each amounts to vote-buying.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, November 10, after inspecting ongoing projects, Wike said the offer was intended to encourage political commitment and mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.

The controversy followed his announcement at a meeting in Kwali that councillors who delivered their wards for President Bola Tinubu would receive the reward.

Wike argued that critics had confused rewarding campaign work with giving voters money to influence their choices.

“I didn’t say take this money and go and buy voters,” he said.

He compared the proposal to a parent promising a child a reward for academic achievement, saying the intention was to encourage effort and results.

The minister also criticised media coverage of the pledge and maintained that the administration’s infrastructure projects provided a basis for seeking public support.

APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda has also defended the proposal.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Yilwatda argued that the promised payment did not constitute vote-buying. His comments placed the party leadership alongside Wike in rejecting criticism of the offer.

The explanations set out Wike’s and the APC chairman’s positions on the controversy. They do not constitute an independent legal determination of the pledge.

The reports reviewed describe a conditional promise tied to electoral performance, rather than a payment already made to councillors.