The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that the people of Rivers State do not need a sitting governor of the State to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Wike made the statement on Saturday in Port Harcourt while commissioning the Rivers State Renewed Hope Ambassadors headquarters, which houses Majority FM 89.5, a situation room, office facilities, and operational buses for the organisation.
Wike stressed that Rivers State leaders had what it takes to mobilise independently for the President.
“We don’t need to have a governor to mobilise for Mr President. We have senators, council chairmen, National Assembly members, and party chairmen of APC and PDP. We have mobilised ourselves to make a commitment,” he said.
He added that political support must be driven by genuine conviction rather than external inducement.
“If you say you are supporting somebody, there is no need for the person to bring his resources. You have to make a commitment, and this is what our leaders have done,” Wike said.
Commending the Coordinator of the Rivers State Renewed Hope Ambassadors, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, for what he described as effective grassroots mobilisation, Wike said the state was fully committed to Tinubu’s re-election.
“Desmond Akawor, you have shown enough capacity to mobilise. You have moved to all the nooks and crannies of Rivers State to talk about Tinubu for President in 2027,” he said.
The former Rivers State governor declared the state a stronghold for the President, insisting that its support was already settled.
“I have said before that Rivers State is a no-go area, and I want to say it again that this state is totally for Tinubu. We made sure that all the 23 local governments and zonal coordinators were inaugurated, and Nigerians all over the world watched that Rivers State is a no-go area,” Wike stated.
He described the commissioning of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors secretariat and vehicles as the first of its kind in the region, challenging other states to emulate Rivers.
“I challenge anybody to come to Rivers State and learn. Our commitment is not by mouth, it is not by newspaper; ours is by showing that indeed we are working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Reflecting on the 2023 election, the minister said Rivers people took their decision without pressure and would continue to stand by the President in 2027 if he seeks re-election.
“Whether anybody likes it or not, when the President has shown interest to run in 2027, we have no choice but to continue to support Mr President,” he added.
Wike also urged the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to intensify mobilisation by inaugurating ward and unit coordinators across the state.
“We must take it down to the units to talk to our people. We are battle-ready. There is nothing we cannot do because unity is strength,” he said.
Earlier, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, while welcoming Wike and other guests, praised the FCT minister for providing leadership to the Rivers State Renewed Hope Ambassadors.
Akawor disclosed that coordinators had been appointed in all 23 local government areas of the state and described Wike’s political approach as “AI politics,” which he said reflects strategic, modern, and data-driven mobilisation.
