BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike may have set off a political firestorm in Abuja by promising to recommend former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship candidate in Bwari Area Council, Julius Adamu for a plum appointment at the FCT Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), a move leaving loyal ruling-party members out in the cold.
Insiders hinted that the deal that stirred the pot came from the Minister’s delivery during a gathering of political stakeholders, traditional rulers, and the APC-PDP Rainbow Coalition in Bwari, where Wike said Adamu will be rewarded for stepping down from the Bwari race to back APC incumbent Joshua Ishaku.
But with Wike’s pledge to write President Bola Tinubu directly to hand Adamu the UBEC chair, the backlash from the base seems to be growing despite his supporters hailing the move as a masterstroke of cross-party coalition building.
Forefront News gathered the announcement has immediately sent shockwaves through the local APC’s rank-and-file party faithful, especially those who claiming to have bled for the party in past area council fights and are crying foul over perceived neglect.
Though still coming in hush-hush tones, our sources confirmed that the current fallout may be highlighting growing friction between Wike’s pragmatic, cross-party horse-trading and grassroots APC loyalists demanding loyalty and spoils for their hard work at the polls.
However, defending the Minister’s position, close allies hinted that Adamu only withdrew from the Council chairmanship contest after discussions with Wike and other political stakeholders, an arrangement which paved the way for Joshua Ishaku, the incumbent chairman, to emerge almost effortlessly.
Wike had while addressing the stakeholders’ meeting, maintained that his appeal to Adamu was in the interest of the coalition and avoided an unnecessary political competition that may have ultimately cost the ruling APC the seat, explaining further that Adamu’s willingness to step aside demonstrated humility and a willingness to prioritise collective political interests over personal ambition.
Despite arguments that Wike’s announcement is only a promise, not confirmation that President Tinubu had approved or granted Adamu the position as part the Rainbow Coalition’s political arrangement that brings together supporters of APC and PDP to mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 presidential election, there are strong indications of frayed nerves among some APC stalwarts.
Within the nation’s capital, the arrangement continues to generate heated discussion as many original APC members are not happy, lamenting that the latest development in Bwari further suggests that Wike is also willing to recognise politicians who withdraw from local contests to support candidates backed by the coalition.
Rejecting the assertion that Adamu’s withdrawal from the race was a masterstroke for APC’s victory at the polls, insiders insisted that the ruling party went into the election with its house intact, many extraneous issues notwithstanding, stressing that to put the entire victory run on one opposition candidate’s withdrawal from the race is unfair to the unwavering support from many ordinary members.
With claims of fierce internal resentment among aggrieved APC members, particularly party veterans who lost in the last Area Council elections, competent sources said some loyalists are openly kicking against what they perceive as blatant neglect, questioning why a rival defector is being fast-tracked for a federal reward while those who spent years building the party’s footprint in the nation’s capital are left in the cold.
Describing the arrangement as a case of ‘Monkey worked but Baboons chop’, party insiders expressed concerns that the development raises questions about the political choices facing FCT-APC members who are to align with Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, where PDP members are being elevated over the APC founding members in the territory.
For now, as preparations enter full gear ahead of next year’s general elections, many of the APC chieftains and supporters are demanding a fair share of the goodies, asking that Party members should also be recommended openly for appointments having laboured so hard and long enough for FCT-APC, maintaining that loyalty must no longer be a thankless venture.
According to the aggrieved members, for the FCT-APC to survive its next political litmus test, party leaders must move beyond empty promises and reward loyalists always labouring in the trenches as a matter of gratitude and the vital glue needed to hold the party’s shaking structure together.
