THE FEUDAL LORDS OF THE FCT AND THE TEN-MILLION-NAIRA SPOILS: A Cry Against Political Inducement and the Commodification of the Nigerian Voter, by Chief Akin Ricketts

One is forced to ask: since when did an election become a football match? The democratic mandate of a sovereign nation like ours is not a sporting tournament where financial bounties are dangled from executive podiums to procure victory by any means necessary! Across the 62 electoral wards of the FCT, dangling ₦10 million per ward amounts to a staggering ₦620 million earmarked purely for political inducement.

Nigeria today is staggering under the weight of an unprecedented moral and political crisis, where the sacred trust of public office has been brazenly reduced to an auction block for political mercenaries. When those entrusted with the administration of the Federal Capital Territory abandon the solemn duty of statesmanship to engage in open, shameless electoral commodification, the very soul of our constitutional republic is put on trial.

Sadly, the reality of our democracy today is a system where executive power is brandished like a private estate and the sacred franchise of the Nigerian voter is treated as a cheap commodity to be bought and sold by political feudal lords.

​It was on Monday, November 9, 2026, at a political gathering in Kwali Area Council and reiterated in Abaji that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, laid bare this transactional mindset. Without a blush of shame, he announced: “Any councillor that delivers his ward will get ₦10 million reward.”

To justify this political inducement, he attempted to draw a bizarre parallel with professional sports, declaring: “When Nigeria plays a match, they tell them, ‘Score one goal, get $50,000; win the match, get $300,000.’ It is to motivate them to play well and win.”

One is forced to ask: since when did an election become a football match? The democratic mandate of a sovereign nation like ours is not a sporting tournament where financial bounties are dangled from executive podiums to procure victory by any means necessary! Across the 62 electoral wards of the FCT, dangling ₦10 million per ward amounts to a staggering ₦620 million earmarked purely for political inducement.

In a country where over 133 million citizens are trapped in multi-dimensional poverty, where workers struggle for a living wage and where basic public infrastructure rots in plain sight, from what treasury is this ₦620 million bounty to be drawn? Is it from private stashes or from public revenues meant for the healthcare, security and education of the long-suffering Nigerian people?

This open commodification of the vote is a direct violation of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022 explicitly criminalizes financial inducements in elections, stipulating that “any person who pays or accepts money or any valuable consideration to induce a voter to vote or refrain from voting commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of ₦500,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.” Furthermore, Section 127 of the same Act prohibits public officers from using bribery, financial promises, or undue influence to sway electoral outcomes.

It is so sad that statutory guardians of our laws have chosen to maintain sinful silence on this democratic onslaught. We call directly upon the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Inspector-General of Police: how much longer will you remain inert while public officers openly convert their statutory duties into monetary incentives? The law is no respecter of executive titles or political patronage. If a private citizen had promised millions to influence votes, your operatives would have raided their home by dawn; why then does the same law freeze in front of “powerful” state actors?

The time has come for Nigeria today to draw the line against this feudal arrogance. The ballot belongs to the sovereign people of Nigeria, not to political overlords who treat the nation’s capital as a personal fiefdom. The law enforcement agencies must wake up, enforce the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and initiate immediate proceedings to demonstrate that no man, no matter how powerful, is above the laws of the land.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the author and not of The DEFENDER Newspaper.