Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has stated that electoral success is determined by tangible governance performance, not by populist campaign tactics, during an official visit to Edo State.
Speaking in Benin City on Tuesday, Minister Wike criticized what he termed “emergency democrats” who only engage with ordinary citizens during election cycles. He was present for the ceremonial handover of 54 pieces of construction equipment to the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Edo State.
“Winning an election is not by dancing. It is not by buying corn on the road,” Wike remarked, using local idioms to illustrate his point. “Winning an election is to show the people what you have done and the foundation you have laid.” He argued that politicians who suddenly adopt common-man personas during campaigns are engaging in deception, noting they rarely exhibit such behaviour while in office.
The minister praised the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its developmental focus. “Mr President is busy developing the FCT. That is performance. That is what people should look at,” he stated, framing infrastructural progress as the key metric for political evaluation.
Notably, Wike, a prominent member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he would not dispute the outcome of the 2023 presidential election. He cited the “tangible achievements” he observed in the Federal Capital Territory under the Tinubu administration as his reason. “As a PDP holder, I will not challenge the result because I know what Mr President has done in the FCT,” he affirmed.
This commentary from a senior PDP figure praising an All Progressives Congress (APC) administration’s performance highlights a intra-party narrative shift, emphasizing governance deliverables over identity politics. His remarks in Edo, a state with significant political importance, suggest a strategic focus on substantive achievement as a campaign cornerstone for future elections.
The event, centered on the transfer of heavy machinery for local infrastructure projects, served as the backdrop for Wike’s broader message: that sustainable political legitimacy is built on a record of concrete development, not temporary electoral theatre.
