Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has openly backed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the February 2026 Abuja Area Council elections, linking government performance to electoral support.
Wike gave the endorsement on Monday during the flag-off ceremony for the construction of a 7-kilometre road with four-span bridges connecting Tunga Madaki to eight neighbouring settlements.
The incumbent Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Christopher Maikalangu, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, is seeking re-election on the ruling party’s platform.
Addressing a large crowd of residents, Wike urged them to reciprocate the Federal Government’s gesture by supporting the APC.
“This project is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and a fulfillment of the promise made to you when your land was acquired for the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,” Wike said.
He explained that the demand for road access was a key condition during negotiations for land compensation, adding that President Tinubu personally approved the project.
“It was quite unfair that a people would surrender their ancestral land for a national project like a second runway, yet they had no access road—even to the airport they gave land for,” Wike said.
“Mr President told me, ‘Whatever they ask for, give it to them.’ Today, we are here to fulfill that promise.”
The Minister assured the community that the road project, being executed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), would be completed and commissioned by June 2026, coinciding with the third anniversary of President Tinubu’s administration.
“This is a government that listens, a government that keeps its promises,” Wike said, stressing that the project reflects the APC-led administration’s commitment to inclusive development.
He praised Maikalangu’s persistence in advocating for the Tunga Madaki community and urged residents to support him in next year’s election.
“Maikalangu has never stopped reminding me about this promise. Support him in the February 2026 elections so that by June, when the road is commissioned, we can all celebrate together,” he said.
Wike’s remarks carried a clear political message, linking infrastructure delivery to electoral loyalty.
“One good turn deserves another,” he told the cheering crowd. “When you do for me, I do for you. When you listen to me, I listen to you. You’ve had council chairmen before – did anyone remember Tunga Madaki? Did they connect you to the airport whose land you gave away?”
The Minister said the road would not only connect the community to the airport via Bill Clinton Drive but also drive development across nine previously neglected settlements.
“Remember the man who remembered you during the rainy season,” Wike urged. “This is a time to stand with the party that brought development to your doorstep.”
