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| President Bola Tinubu. Official portrait, 2023. Nosa Asemota / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. |
Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike says President Bola Tinubu’s infrastructure record will make him difficult to defeat in the 2027 election, with the FCT administration planning to inaugurate at least 10 projects before voting begins.
Wike spoke in Abuja on Tuesday, 10 November, after visiting road construction sites. He argued that the administration’s projects would provide the basis for its campaign ahead of the presidential election scheduled for 16 January 2027.
“You can see clearly that it will be difficult to unseat the president today because the report card is obvious in terms of what he has done.
“Like I told you, this is our campaign. People ask what we are going to campaign with, but we have so many visible achievements all around us.
“There is no way residents of Abuja will see the kind of infrastructure we have provided and say they are not happy with the achievements of Mr President. It is second to none.”
His inspection covered three road projects, including the section of the Inner Southern Expressway running between the Area 1 roundabout and the Games Village bridges.
He also visited the Southern Parkway construction site, where work is under way on a connection between Oladipo Diya Road and Ring Road II, according to the News Agency of Nigeria’s account of the tour.
The third project, Arterial Road S1, will link Ring Road II with the FCT Fire Service Station along the Kaura and Gaduwa district corridors.
Discussing the Southern Parkway, Wike recalled that construction began during activities marking Tinubu’s third anniversary in office. He said the progress since then explained his confidence in the administration’s infrastructure programme.
“Within six to seven months, you can see what has been achieved. It is unimaginable and that is why we are very happy,” Mr Wike said.
The minister said contractors handling the inspected projects had received a completion deadline of 15 December, Independent reported. The roads remained under construction at the time of Tuesday’s visit.
At the same briefing, Wike reaffirmed his support for Tinubu despite not belonging to the All Progressives Congress. He argued that party membership should not prevent Nigerians from supporting government projects or contributing to development.
He also pointed to employment generated by the construction work, saying workers engaged on the sites were earning incomes to support their households.
Wike said the FCT administration remained on course to inaugurate at least 10 projects before the January election, adding to the infrastructure he intends to present to voters in support of Tinubu’s bid for another term.