By Sarah NEGEDU
With campaigns for the 2026 area council elections on the horizon, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has advised political opponents to rethink their chances, saying the performance record of the current administration will determine the outcome of the election.
Wike, who disclosed this on Tuesday, during the commissioning of the newly completed 16-kilometre right-hand service carriageway of the Idu-Zuba expressway, said those aligned with the current administration have no cause to worry, as the wave of infrastructure projects being delivered under the current administration has shifted public perception ahead of the local elections.
“I don’t know those who want to run elections in the area councils. I don’t know what they will preach to the people. But those who are with us, they have the opportunity to tell people what we have done. So let people not waste their money. The result is known by what we have shown.”
While the minister did not directly mention any political party, he argued that tangible service delivery and not party affiliation, is the most potent form of political mobilization.
“So not when you fail you say you were rigged. No, look at the rigging here now. The project is the rigging,” Wike added.
He credited President Bola Tinubu for providing the support that enabled the completion of several stalled projects, including the Idu-Zuba carriageway which was first awarded in 2014 but delayed for years due to poor planning and lack of funding.
Wike criticised the poor planning that stalled the project for over a decade, saying, “A job of N7 billion in 2014. With commitment, you can say, okay, to finish this road every month, let the company collect from our IGR N500 million. In one year, you have paid N6 billion. But the road has taken 11 good years. Simple arithmetic,” Wike said.
President Tinubu, who was represented by Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, described the new road as a critical part of the FCT master plan.
“This infrastructure is a critical piece of the Federal Capital Territory’s master plan, designed to ease traffic flow, enhance connectivity and improve urban mobility for millions of commuters, residents and businesses in the city,” he said.
Tinubu commended the FCT Administration for delivering the project on time and in line with the Renewed Hope infrastructure agenda, saying, “You have contributed to something larger than the roadway. You have contributed to the future of our capital,” he said.
The President said projects like the Idu-Zuba carriageway open doors for housing, business, and investment opportunities across Abuja’s growing districts. He urged residents to protect public infrastructure for future generations.
“To the residents and road users, I appeal to you, protect this infrastructure, obey traffic rules and keep public assets with respect. They belong to all of us and to generations yet unborn,” he said.
In her remarks, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, stressed that the project would no doubt ease traffic flow, enhance connectivity, boost commerce, and improve the daily lives of thousands.
Mahmoud, therefore, prayed that the project “would serve as a symbol of collective determination to build a better, more connected, and more prosperous Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
