Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has questioned the ability of the senator representing the FCT to understand and adequately address the challenges confronting residents across Abuja’s six area councils, urging voters to demand more effective political representation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike made the remarks on Monday, 2 November 2026, during the commissioning of the Gwagwalada Civic Centre and an interactive session with stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

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The minister used the gathering to raise concerns about the quality of representation at the National Assembly, arguing that elected officials should understand the everyday difficulties facing their constituents and communicate those concerns effectively to the Federal Government.

He specifically questioned whether the FCT senator understood the challenges confronting residents of Gwagwalada, Kuje, Bwari, Kwali, Abaji and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

His comments formed part of a wider appeal for residents to reconsider their choices at the next election and avoid what he described as a mistake made during the 2023 general elections.

Wike also canvassed support for former Senator Philip Aduda and other candidates associated with the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance involving stakeholders from both the APC and PDP in the territory.

The minister’s intervention highlights the growing political importance of cross-party alliances in the FCT, where competing political interests are seeking common ground ahead of the next electoral cycle.

According to Wike, political representation should go beyond occupying public office. Elected officials, he argued, must remain accessible to residents and demonstrate a practical understanding of the challenges affecting the communities they represent.

He also urged political stakeholders to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027, calling for coordinated grassroots engagement across the territory.

“On the day of the election, it will not be a day for market or fishing. It is the day all of us have decided to come together and demonstrate our strength through our votes,” Wike said.

“Go to the polling units, districts and communities and mobilise the people to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

The minister’s appeal reflects his continuing involvement in political mobilisation within the FCT, despite his membership of the PDP and his public support for Tinubu, who belongs to the ruling APC.

Wike also criticised politicians opposed to the Rainbow Coalition, accusing them of placing personal interests above collective political cooperation.

“Some greedy and selfish politicians do not understand what we call unity. 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,” he said.

He commended political leaders in Gwagwalada for setting aside their party differences, describing their cooperation as evidence that shared political interests could take precedence over individual ambitions.

The Rainbow Coalition has become an important feature of the minister’s political engagement in the territory, bringing together selected APC and PDP stakeholders around common electoral objectives.

However, the arrangement also raises questions about the relationship between party loyalty, political alliances and the independence of elected representatives, particularly as the 2027 elections approach.

Earlier, FCT APC Chairman, Ishaku Yamawo, described the gathering as historic, saying Wike’s political intervention had helped bring together leaders who previously operated on opposing sides of the political divide.

Yamawo said politicians who had not regarded themselves as political allies because of party affiliations were now working together under a common platform in Gwagwalada.

He also credited the minister with helping to reduce political tension in the area, claiming that campaigns had become more peaceful, without some of the vehicle destruction and violent incidents previously associated with political activities.

Similarly, FCT PDP Chairman, Ismaila Dogara, praised Wike’s development interventions, particularly his involvement in reviving a project in Gwagwalada that he said had remained abandoned for 16 years.

Dogara described the cooperation between political leaders across party lines as evidence of the minister’s efforts to build consensus among stakeholders.

The Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji, also commended Wike for his contributions to infrastructure development in the FCT, arguing that the revival of the abandoned project demonstrated the importance of continuity in governance.

Beyond the political discussions, the gathering provided an opportunity for local officials and community representatives to raise infrastructure concerns affecting Gwagwalada residents.

In his welcome address, Gwagwalada Area Council Chairman, Kassim Mohammed, highlighted road projects undertaken by his administration in Gwagwalada metropolis, Tungan Wada, Abum-pe and other communities.

Mohammed thanked Wike for approving the establishment of a one-inch chip facility in Gwagwalada, while appealing for intervention on the road connecting the Army checkpoint to the Specialist Hospital.

The facility is expected to support local infrastructure development, particularly road construction and maintenance activities.

Gwagwalada youths also used the occasion to present their demands, with the area council’s youth leader and Special Assistant to the chairman, Inuwa Guzo, pledging support for the Rainbow Coalition among young people aligned with the APC and PDP.

Guzo further appealed for the rehabilitation of the Gwagwalada football stadium, which he said had remained abandoned for more than 25 years.

The request added a sporting and youth-development dimension to discussions otherwise dominated by political cooperation and infrastructure delivery.

Wike’s remarks come as political stakeholders across the FCT begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections, with questions about legislative representation, local development and electoral alliances increasingly shaping political conversations.

His criticism of the FCT senator places constituency representation at the centre of that debate, particularly regarding whether elected officials adequately understand the needs of communities across the six area councils.

However, the minister’s endorsement of Philip Aduda and other Rainbow Coalition candidates also gives the intervention a clear electoral dimension.

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As preparations for the next general elections gather momentum, the extent to which political alliances can translate into better representation and tangible improvements in local communities will remain an important issue for FCT residents.