The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the FCT are united, while mocking critics of the coalition as politicians unable to unite even their own families and communities.
Wike said the coalition, which brings together stakeholders from the ruling APC and the opposition PDP, was formed to promote unity, cooperation and development across the Federal Capital Territory.
He spoke Monday at the commissioning of the Gwagwalada Civil Centre and an interactive session with APC and PDP stakeholders in the Gwagwalada Area Council.
“Some greedy and selfish politicians do not understand what we call unity,” Wike said.
“They have no capacity to hold their space, they have no capacity to even hold their families, and they have no capacity to hold their communities.
“So they can open their mouths and say there is no Rainbow Coalition,” Wike said.
The Minister’s comments highlight an effort to build political support across party lines in the FCT ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He urged residents not to repeat what he described as the mistake of the 2023 elections and called for more credible representation in the National Assembly.
Wike said the territory needed lawmakers who understood the concerns of residents in all six area councils –Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, Kwali, Abaji and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) –and could communicate those concerns to the Federal Government.
He questioned whether the senator representing the FCT understood the challenges facing those communities.
Wike also endorsed former Sen. Philip Aduda and other candidates backed by the coalition, saying representatives must remain accessible and familiar with their constituents.
The Minister declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and urged residents to mobilise at the grassroots.
“On the day of the election, it will not be a day for markets or fishing,” Wike stated.
“Go to the polling units, districts and communities and mobilise the people to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the Minister declared.
FCT APC Chairman Ishaku Yamawo described the gathering as historic, saying Wike’s intervention had brought together leaders who previously operated on opposing sides.
He said political leaders who had not regarded one another as allies because of party differences were now agreeing to work under one platform in Gwagwalada.
Yamawo also credited the Minister with reducing political tension in the area, saying campaigns had become more peaceful and were no longer marked by vehicle destruction and other violence.
FCT PDP Chairman Ismaila Mohammed Dogara praised Wike’s development interventions, particularly the revival of a project abandoned for 16 years in Gwagwalada.
He said the cooperation among political leaders reflected the minister’s commitment to building consensus among stakeholders.
The Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, commended Wike for his contributions to the territory and said the project’s revival underscored the importance of continuity in governance.
Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman Kassim Mohammed listed road projects carried out by his administration in Gwagwalada metropolis, Tungan Wada, Abum-pe and other communities.
He thanked Wike for approving a one-inch chip facility in the area but appealed for intervention on the road linking the Army checkpoint to the Specialist Hospital.
Former council Chairman Zakari Dobi said the Civil Centre was nearly 80 per cent complete when he left office but was vandalised during its 16-year abandonment, reducing its completion level to about 40 per cent.
He praised the current chairman for reviving the facility and described its completion as a victory for residents regardless of political affiliation.
Community leaders and party officials also appealed for additional projects, including a cottage hospital and the rehabilitation of the Gwagwalada football stadium, which they said had been abandoned for more than 25 years.
