2027: We Don’t Need Sitting Governor to Deliver Rivers for Tinubu — Wike

 

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has declared that his political structure in Rivers State does not require the support of a sitting governor to mobilise votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections.

Wike made the assertion on Saturday in Port Harcourt during the inauguration of the headquarters of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, a pro-Tinubu support group.

According to the former Rivers State governor, his camp has already built a formidable grassroots network across the state capable of delivering victory for the president without relying on the state’s chief executive.

He commended Desmond Akawor, the Rivers coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, for what he described as extensive mobilisation across the 23 local government areas of the state.

“Desmond Akawor has shown enough capacity to mobilise. He has gone to all the nooks and crannies of Rivers State speaking about Tinubu’s re-election in 2027,” Wike said.

He added that the group’s activities and structures demonstrate seriousness of purpose and practical commitment rather than mere political rhetoric.

“I have said it before and I repeat — Rivers State is a no-go area. This state is for Tinubu. Our commitment is not by mouth or by newspaper publications; it is by action,” he stated.

Wike noted that coordinators have been appointed across all local governments and zones, with operational vehicles and a functional secretariat commissioned to drive mobilisation efforts.

Challenging critics, the FCT minister said the Rivers political machinery backing Tinubu is self-sustaining.

“We don’t need a governor to mobilise for Mr President. We have what it takes to stand on our own — senators, members of the national and state assemblies, council chairmen, and party leaders across APC and PDP. When you support somebody, you show commitment with your own resources,” he said.

Wike also took a swipe at unnamed governors he accused of encouraging political betrayal in Rivers State, warning that such actions could rebound on them through their own successors.

Though he did not mention names, his remarks are widely seen as directed at Governor Siminalayi Fubara, with whom he has been engaged in a prolonged political dispute over control of the state’s political structure. Wike had played a key role in Fubara’s emergence as governor.