By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has asked members of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in the FCT to support President Bola Tinubu and candidates of the All Progressives Congress APC in the 2027 elections.
Wike, who is the coordinator of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu/APC Presidential Campaign Council in FCT spoke on Wednesday at a political stakeholders forum in Abuja.
“I know all the PDP FCT will support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will support Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda, will support Dr John Gabaya,” he said.
Wike pointed to an area council chairman as proof that the shift had begun. “He is of PDP, is it not correct? But you see, he has come out mobilizing for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, mobilizing for Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda,” he said.
He told the gathering that campaign logistics would be provided. “All the logistics for our campaign, you will have it. Everything you will have it,” he said.
The minister also disclosed the task he has been handed by the party. “I was even given two assignments: to coordinate for Rivers State, to make sure Rivers State is delivered to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to make sure FCT is delivered to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And with the grace of God, FCT is for Tinubu, Rivers is for Tinubu. We must take this election very, very seriously. And that, and that, and that everybody must take it serious and come out with our Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Wike took a swipe at Peter Obi’s supporters. “You can vote for Peter Obi as president of social media,” he said.
He asked the youths why they are drawn to what he called pretenders. “Why do you like people who are fake? People who are not real?” he said, adding: “We prefer a president that will tell us this is white and it is white.”
Defending the removal of the fuel subsidy, Wike said every past president had called it a scam but none had acted. “There is no president that came that said fuel subsidy was not a scam. Every president said it was a scam. But nobody had that courage to say it will go. And it came, May 29th, 2023, he said, ‘Subsidy, you are gone.
“We agree that the cost of things are a bit high. By the time the reform is stabilized, the cost of living will come down. That is the sacrifice of removing the fuel subsidy,” he said.
Wike listed what he said Nigerians had gained. “Nobody goes to the bank to get loan,” he said of governors, adding: “Since three years now, has there been any strike in university? Has there been any strike? Let us just say the truth. There has been no strike. We cannot say that this administration has solved every problem, no. But within the three years they have come, they have solved a lot of problems”, he said.
On FCT, the minister assured the indigenes of a place in the administration. “Let me assure you today, in the next appointment of FCT, you will be included, because you represent a good chunk of Nigerians, and so there should be inclusivity as far as FCT is concerned,” he said.
He said Tinubu had addressed the frustration of career civil servants in the territory. “That is why today you have a head of service, you have a civil service commission, who is in charge of employing Abuja people. We have permanent secretaries now,” he said.
Wike said the president also approved a women secretariat and secretaries for youth matters. “We do not have a youth secretary before. Today, we have secretaries that take care of youth matters. That is inclusivity.
“Today, we have built twelve new police stations with residences in it, where the police people will stay in order to improve our security architecture.. Today, six area councils we have can boast of roads going to their various areas. It was not like that before,” he said.
Wike said the Apo-Karshi Road, awarded in 2010, would be commissioned soon. “By this November, we will commission that road. This December alone, we are going to commission not less than six projects in Amac alone. Our campaign is our project. Our campaign is to tell you what we have done. Our campaign is that if you give us the support, we will do more,” he said.
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