Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has threatened that any candidate in the upcoming FCT Council poll that does not align with President Bola Tinubu will not win.
Wike spoke on Saturday in Abuja, during the 60th birthday celebration of Sandy Onor, a former senator who represented Cross River central.
The minister said party affiliation would not influence his decision in the February 21 council elections, adding that his support will be for candidates backing the president.
“We have the FCT area council election coming up on February 21, and I have a duty to support any candidate that supports President Tinubu to win,” Wike said.
“It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who is not supporting Tinubu does not win in the election, and I owe no apology for my stance.”
Ahead of the election, candidates have demanded a free and fair process with equal opportunity for all.
In January, Moses Paul, a candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), appealed to Wike to support his candidacy.
Paul said he shares the minister’s views on performance-driven governance, and described himself as “Mr Project”, a moniker associated with Wike when he was governor of Rivers.
The ADC candidate said he has addressed community needs within AMAC by supporting the renovation of primary schools and improvements to primary healthcare centres.
Christopher Maikalangu, chairman of AMAC, was elected in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Maikalangu defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in April 2025 and is seeking re-election.
