By Our Reporter
A legal practitioner, Victor Opatola, has warned that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, may have violated the Electoral Act by promising to reward councillors with ₦10 million each for delivering their wards for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Opatola said the promise could amount to electoral inducement prohibited under Section 125(1)(a) of the Electoral Act, which criminalises direct and indirect attempts to influence electoral outcomes through financial or other incentives.
Wike had made the pledge on Monday during a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting attended by traditional rulers, political leaders and residents in Kwali Area Council of the FCT.
At the gathering, the minister announced that any councillor who successfully delivered his or her ward for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election would receive ₦10 million.
Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, Opatola acknowledged Wike’s constitutional right to support Tinubu and campaign for his re-election but questioned the decision to attach a financial reward to the political mobilisation effort.
He argued that the distinction between legitimate political campaigning and voter inducement must be carefully examined, particularly in view of the provisions of the Electoral Act.
According to him, the law prohibits not only direct inducement but also indirect financial arrangements intended to procure a particular electoral outcome.
“What is the thin line between campaigning for President Tinubu and voter inducement? That is the germane issue here,” he said.
Opatola maintained that political leaders should rely on their government’s achievements to persuade voters rather than offer financial incentives to political office holders to influence electoral outcomes.
He noted that Wike had repeatedly highlighted the number of roads constructed in Abuja and other infrastructure projects undertaken by the Tinubu administration.
The lawyer argued that if the government had performed well, its achievements should naturally convince voters to support the President without the need for monetary inducements.
He also questioned the assumption that councillors possessed the power to determine how residents voted, stressing that the decision to support any candidate remained a personal choice.
Opatola further urged Nigerians not to leave the prosecution of electoral offences exclusively to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or the police.
He said individuals and groups could initiate criminal proceedings against alleged electoral offenders, provided they followed the appropriate legal procedures.
According to him, citizens should take advantage of the provisions of the law to hold political actors accountable rather than wait for government institutions to act.
He urged Nigerians to pay greater attention to the conduct of political leaders ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that statements and promises capable of undermining electoral integrity should not be ignored.