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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has called on Rivers state residents to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that sustaining the administration’s economic reforms was crucial to Nigeria’s recovery.
Wike made the appeal at a Rainbow Coalition town hall meeting in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni local government area of Rivers state.
He urged residents to rally behind Tinubu and candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming general election.
He maintained that the president’s economic policies were necessary to address the challenges inherited by the current administration, warning that abandoning the reforms could undermine efforts to stabilise the country’s economy.
“Only the continuation of the economic reforms initiated by the Tinubu government can bring this country back from the economic comatose it was in before this present administration took over,” Wike said.
Recalling his political engagements with residents in 2023, the minister said his decision to support Tinubu had initially attracted apprehension among some people but insisted that subsequent developments had justified his position.
“When in 2023 I came here, I pleaded with you and said, ‘Listen, no matter how difficult it may sound, it is better for us to go the way I was going.’ So many people were afraid, but to the glory of God, we can see that we never made a mistake.”
Wike also cautioned voters against supporting politicians he described as opportunists, saying Nigerians should consider the potential consequences of changing political direction ahead of the 2027 elections.
He singled out former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), questioning his repeated attempts to become president.
“Do not put your destiny into the hands of political gamblers or kalo-kalo players. Look at a man who has run for president for years — Atiku Abubakar,” Wike said.
“Every time he will try. If you make a mistake and support him, what you are doing is supporting him to recover all the money he has spent for those eight years. We cannot put your destiny in their hands.”
The minister also criticised Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over his public engagements, including visits to internally displaced persons’ camps.
Wike dismissed such activities as superficial political gestures, arguing that voters should instead support politicians who demonstrate consistency and a clearly defined political direction.
“People should pick a stance and tell themselves: ‘This is who I am,’ not changing like a chameleon. Tinubu is the person who has shown true direction,” he said.
Turning his attention to former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, whom he identified as Atiku’s running mate, Wike challenged him to account for his performance while in office between 2007 and 2015 before seeking another political position.
He urged voters to scrutinise the records of political officeholders rather than be swayed by campaign promises.
“If I come now to campaign, you must ask me: the one we gave you before, how far?” he said.
Wike further called on political leaders and grassroots mobilisers in Rivers state to work for the victory of Tinubu and other APC candidates, arguing that cooperation between the executive and legislature would facilitate the implementation of government policies.
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