‘I didn’t tell them to go buy votes,’ Wike defends N10m reward for councillors

By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said he never asked councillors to buy votes with the N10 million he promised those who deliver their wards in the 2027 general elections.
“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.
Wike spoke on Tuesday during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja. He was responding to criticism of the promise, which he said was an incentive for hard work and not an attempt to buy votes.
Addressing stakeholde...