The indigenous people of Abuja under the auspices of Abuja Original Inhabitants Youths Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO) have declared their support for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and pledged to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The Executive Director of AOIYEO and Supreme Leader of FCT Youths, Commandant Isaac David, made the declaration in a statement on Thursday while reacting to Wike’s decision to stake his ministerial position on President Tinubu’s performance in the FCT and Rivers State at the 2027 election.
Wike had, on Wednesday, told leaders and members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja that he would resign as FCT minister if Tinubu lost the presidential election in both the FCT and Rivers State.
He said his ability to deliver the two territories for the President would determine whether he deserved to remain in office.
David said the minister’s position had strengthened the resolve of indigenous youths to support Tinubu, arguing that the administration’s infrastructure projects in the FCT represented a significant intervention in communities that had allegedly suffered neglect over the years.
He said, “We will back the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, that Tinubu will not lose the election in the FCT because posterity will not forgive us for the good things he has done to the indigenous people of the FCT through the Minister, Nyesom Wike.”
According to him, the group would mobilise its structures across the territory to support Tinubu, saying the decision was based on what he described as the administration’s interventions in the FCT.
David said, “So we vow to deliver Tinubu because he has done enough for us, and we have the assurance that when he comes back for a second tenure, our marginalisation will be totally crushed.”
He also linked the group’s position to the longstanding demand by FCT indigenous communities for greater political representation and the restoration of elected legislative and executive institutions in the territory.
David said the people of the FCT had witnessed what he described as progress towards addressing their political demands.
“We have proven our full political administrative structure that we have been yearning for, and State House of Assembly and governorship election will no longer be a thing of the past,” he said.
He expressed confidence that constitutional and political reforms would eventually provide for elections for governor and State House of Assembly members in the FCT.
“We are confident that before the eight years of Mr Tinubu elapse, election will be held for governor of the FCT, and State House of Assembly election will also be held,” David said.
He added that the group’s proposed support for Tinubu was based on its assessment of developments in the territory and expectations concerning the next phase of the administration.
“So, for the things that he has done to the FCT, the indigenous people and the residents, we have vowed to pay him back with our votes,” he said.
Wike’s declaration followed his renewed campaign for Tinubu’s re-election. The minister has previously said he would lead campaign efforts for the President in the FCT and Rivers State while maintaining that his support for Tinubu does not prevent the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from contesting other elections.
The minister has also repeatedly cited ongoing infrastructure development in the FCT as part of the basis for his support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
David’s statement adds the voice of an indigenous youth organisation to the growing political mobilisation around the 2027 presidential election in the FCT.
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