The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has defended the N10 million reward promised by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to councillors who deliver their wards for President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda said the money was meant to motivate the councillors and would only be paid after the election results had been established.
He made the clarification on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he dismissed suggestions that the offer amounted to vote buying.
According to him, the reward was directed at FCT councillors, estimated to be between 60 and 62, and was intended to encourage them to mobilise support for the party.
“Which political party doesn’t release money for mobilisation? Which political party? So, tell me one. No, it’s not for votes. The same reward for you to deliver Tinubu in your ward,” he said.
The APC chairman compared the proposed payment to rewarding students for good academic performance, insisting that the timing of the payment made a difference.
He argued that the money would not be given before the election but after the winner had been declared and all legal processes completed.
“The money is not given before the election. It doesn’t matter? No, it matters. It matters because if the money is given after the election has been concluded and the winner has been declared and there’s nothing at stake again if the court has proven and all the legal rules have been followed that you legally deliver your ward by giving you N10 million,” Yilwatda said.
When asked directly whether he considered the offer vote buying, he replied, “Never.”
Wike had made the promise during a political meeting in Kwali Area Council, where he pledged to give each councillor N10 million if they delivered their wards for Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 elections.
On whether the APC would support the return of Senate President Godswill Akpabio if he wins re-election, Yilwatda said the decision would be left to members of the Senate.
“Let’s wait for the election first. I don’t have anybody in mind. The Senate will determine who they want to make the Senate President,” he said.
Reacting to reports of electoral violence ahead of the 2027 general elections, the APC chairman expressed sympathy for anyone injured and maintained that his party supported free and fair elections.
“If anybody is injured by anybody across the country, I’m sure it shouldn’t be by APC supporters. I pity anybody who is being injured, and I sympathise with them. Our party stands for free and fair elections,” he added.
