2027: Abuja Residents Will Judge Tinubu By What They See- Wike
…DEFENDS N10M REWARD FOR COUNCILLORS
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s record of delivery has already settled the argument for 2027.
The Minister stated this on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, during a routine inspection of ongoing projects in Abuja
Addressing newsmen alongside the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, shortly after the inspection exercise, the Minister insisted that the roads, bridges and parkways under construction are the strongest campaign materials the ruling party has.
“Why are we worried about campaign? Come and see the campaign with your own eyes”, the Minister said. “This is not promise, this is performance. When the work is speaking, you don’t need too much grammar”, he added.
The Minister, inspected three strategic projects: the Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX 2) from Ring Road I (Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway), linking traffic to Kaura and Galadimawa districts and other adjoining districts, including the stretch from Area 1 Roundabout to Games Village bridges; the Southern Parkway, a major link between Arterial S20 (Oladipo Diya Road) and Ring Road II, designed to ease traffic circulation around Durumi, Gudu, Lologoma and Kabusa districts; and the Arterial Road S1 project, which will provide access to bounding developments in Kaura district around the Fire Service Station and open up areas from Ring Road II up to Arterial Road S20.
On the Southern Parkway, the Minister commended the speed of delivery as proof of the administration’s seriousness. The project was flagged off during the celebration of President Tinubu’s third year in office, and in less than seven months, the transformation is already visible.
“Look at what has happened in six to seven months. This is what leadership means — you say it, you do it, and people can see it. Abuja has never witnessed this kind of pace before”, he said.
The Minister said the FCT Administration is on course to deliver and inaugurate at least 10 high-impact projects before the January 16, 2027 general election, with the three inspected projects targeted for completion by December.
He argued that the opposition will struggle to find a message that can compete with visible development. “You cannot convince a man who drives on a new road every day that nothing has happened. You cannot tell a resident who sees bridges rising that government is not working”, Wike said.
The Minister also used the inspection to defend his promise of N10 million reward to councillors who deliver their wards for President Tinubu in 2027, insisting it is an incentive for hard work, not vote-buying.
He said he never asked councillors to give money to voters or induce them, but challenged them to show 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”, Wike stated.
Comparing the reward to incentives promised to athletes who win international competitions, Wike questioned why rewarding political performance should be mistaken for bribery, adding that parties routinely spend money on campaign advertisements without similar scrutiny.
He concluded that the Tinubu administration is not going to 2027 to beg for another chance, but with evidence.
“Let the people of Abuja be the judge. They live here, they see the roads, they feel the change. We are not going to 2027 to beg for another chance. We are going with evidence. Our work is our manifesto”, Wike declared.
Also addressing the journalists, Senator Lokpobiri expressed profound astonishment at the rapid execution of the infrastructure projects.
Sharing his perspective as a long-term resident of the city since 2007, Lokpobiri noted that the speed of execution under Wike’s leadership has completely redefined urban governance in Nigeria, making hidden or long-abandoned projects come alive in record time.
Lauding the synergy between the presidency and the FCT Ministry, Lokpobiri declared:
“I’ve been in Abuja for about 19 years now. I came to Abuja in 2007 when I was elected to the legislature. And the level of development here in Abuja is unprecedented. Even if you don’t like the FCT minister, you will give it to him that he will do the infrastructure that even you too will benefit from. So what is happening is unprecedented—and I want to take the opportunity to congratulate the honorable minister and also congratulate the president who has given him all the support that he needed to be able to deliver for the FCT”.
