.Says incentive for political mobilization for 2027 elections
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has defended his promise to reward councillors with ₦10 million each for successfully mobilising political support and securing electoral victories in their wards ahead of the 2027 general election, insisting that the proposed incentive should not be misconstrued as vote-buying.
Wike, who spoke on Tuesday during an inspection of ongoing infrastructure projects across the FCT, dismissed criticisms trailing the pledge, arguing that the financial reward was intended to encourage political mobilisation, commitment and hard work among grassroots political actors, rather than induce voters to support a particular candidate.
The minister maintained that there was a fundamental distinction between rewarding political mobilisers for achieving agreed electoral targets and offering money directly to voters to influence their choices at the polling booths.
His defence followed the controversy generated by his reported promise of ₦10 million to each councillor who successfully delivers his ward in the political contest ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The pledge has raised questions about the propriety of financial incentives in electoral politics, particularly against the background of concerns over vote-buying and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
However, Wike insisted that he neither instructed the councillors to distribute money to voters nor encouraged them to induce the electorate to vote for any candidate. Rather, he said, his challenge to the councillors was to demonstrate their capacity to mobilise support through political engagement, organisation and commitment.
“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.
According to the minister, the proposed payment was a performance-based incentive designed to recognise individuals who successfully undertook the responsibility of mobilising support and delivering electoral results in their respective political constituencies.
He argued that political mobilisation required dedication, time, resources and organisational capacity, adding that individuals who committed themselves to achieving specific political objectives should be entitled to recognition and rewards for their efforts.
To further explain his position, Wike drew a comparison between the proposed political incentive and the rewards governments and other institutions offer athletes who distinguish themselves at international sporting competitions.
He recalled that athletes who win medals and achieve outstanding performances are sometimes promised houses, cash rewards and other benefits as recognition of their achievements.
The minister questioned why a similar arrangement in the political arena should automatically be interpreted as vote-buying, maintaining that rewarding individuals for meeting agreed performance targets was different from paying voters to influence their electoral decisions.
He suggested that the criticism surrounding the pledge failed to appreciate the distinction between incentivising political workers and financially inducing members of the electorate.
Wike also faulted sections of the media for what he described as a failure to properly examine the circumstances surrounding the proposed reward, urging journalists to distinguish between legitimate political mobilisation and electoral inducement.
He argued that political parties and candidates routinely spend substantial sums on campaign advertisements, publicity, logistics and other mobilisation activities without attracting the same level of scrutiny.
According to him, the resources committed to political campaigns are intended to promote candidates, communicate political messages and secure electoral support, and should be examined within the broader context of political organisation.
The minister urged journalists to interrogate the purpose and circumstances of financial incentives in political campaigns rather than conclude that every promise of monetary reward amounted to vote-buying.