The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his promise to reward councillors with N10 million each for delivering their wards to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, accused Wike of engaging in vote-buying, arguing that the promise violates Section 125 of the Electoral Act.
Okonkwo made the allegation in a post on X on Wednesday, insisting that INEC must take action against the minister.
“Wike’s offer of N10m to every Councillor who delivers his ward is pure vote buying and comes under the offence of bribery in Section 125 of the Electoral Act.
“If INEC does not prosecute Wike now, then let it be man enough to admit that it had sold the 2027 general election to the highest bidder,” he wrote.
The demand came a day after Wike defended his promise, insisting that the proposed N10 million reward was an incentive for political mobilisation and hard work, not an attempt to buy votes.
Wike had announced the offer on Monday during a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali Area Council of the FCT, where he urged councillors to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, political stakeholders and residents.
“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get N10 million reward. Therefore, go and meet your leaders, go and meet your youth groups and go and consult with associations. Let’s deliver our ward to Mr President,” Wike was quoted as saying.
However, speaking on Tuesday during an inspection tour of ongoing infrastructure projects in Abuja, the minister dismissed criticisms of the offer, arguing that rewarding political mobilisers was different from giving money to voters in exchange for their support.
“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 compared the proposed reward to incentives offered to athletes who win international competitions, arguing that promises of houses and other benefits are commonly used to encourage outstanding performances.
He questioned why similar incentives in politics should automatically be interpreted as bribery.
The minister also criticised sections of the media for what he described as their failure to distinguish between legitimate rewards and vote-buying.
He argued that political parties and candidates routinely spend money on campaign advertisements without attracting similar scrutiny.
Wike challenged journalists to pay greater attention to the distinction between financial inducements intended to influence voters and rewards promised to political mobilisers for achieving electoral targets.
The minister further maintained that his support for Tinubu’s administration was driven by development rather than party affiliation.
He emphasized that Nigerians who genuinely desire progress should support policies and programmes aimed at national development.