Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned that sudden declarations of support for President Bola Tinubu do not guarantee a governorship ticket for Rivers State in the 2027 elections.
He emphasized that claiming to stand on the president’s mandate cannot override previously reached political agreements, which must be respected.
Wike made these remarks during a special Christmas visit to his supporters in Emohua Local Government Area at the palace of His Royal Highness, Ohna Sergent Awuse, the Paramount Ruler of Emohua and Chairman of the South-South Traditional Rulers Forum.
Reiterating his stance, Wike insisted that no one should take him for granted once agreements have been made, and he vowed to resist any attempts to alter such arrangements. He stressed that President Tinubu’s return for a second term is already settled and should not be used as leverage in Rivers State politics.
He stated, “So, as far as Tinubu’s own is concerned, it’s a settled matter. Anybody who wants to be governor of Rivers State, if you like sing on your mandate, no. Agreement is what, agreement. Agreements is what, agreement.”
Wike further added, “What makes a man is when you agree to soing with people, you keep it. Nobody can use us to play wayo, nobody. No matter the amount of money you say you have, it will crumble. It will crumble. We have done it before, it’s not about whether there’s N600 billion in the account, I’m not interested. What I’m interested in is, keep to agreement.”
He dismissed claims that support for Tinubu could secure a governorship ticket, saying, “Nobody should come and be telling me, we are for Tinubu, on your mandate. Who is for Tinubu in Rivers State? That cannot give you any ticket o. It cannot.”
Wike also declared, “Nobody can intimidate us. Nobody born of a woman can intimidate us. If you like, you can have the billions of dollars. What we will say is what we will do. So, all of you prepare. We must play our role as usual and we must be relevant as usual.”
Taking a swipe at supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara who recently declared support for President Tinubu, Wike noted that the same group had earlier demanded that the seats of Rivers State House of Assembly members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) be declared vacant, adding that those lawmakers “saw ahead of them.”
Despite emphasizing the sanctity of agreements, Wike did not disclose the specifics of the agreement or the parties involved, leaving room for speculation about the political future of Governor Fubara, especially regarding his chances of securing a second-term ticket after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
Wike also delivered similar messages on the importance of respecting agreements during Christmas visits to his supporters in Ikwerre and Ahoada Local Government Areas.
I think its fair for politicians to support each other without expecting favors in return. Loyalty should not be a bargaining chip.
I disagree with Wike. Supporting Tinubu should be a personal choice, not a bargaining tool. Lets focus on policies, not politics.
I dont agree with Wike. People have the right to support who they want without it being a bargaining tool.
I think its fair for Wike to caution against using support for Tinubu as leverage in the Rivers governorship race. Lets keep politics clean!