Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCG) Nyesom Wike has boldly declared that Rivers State requires no gubernatorial nudge from Siminalayi Fubara to rally behind President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The latest comments underscores a deepening rift in the State’s landscape.
Speaking on Saturday at the commissioning of the Rivers State Renewed Hope Ambassadors headquarters in Port Harcourt—complete with Majority FM 89.5 radio station, a situation room, office spaces and campaign buses—Minister Wike praised coordinator Desmond Akawor for grassroots mobilisation across the state’s 23 local government areas.
He said “Rivers is a no-go area” for opponents, Wike declared, reaffirming that all local coordinators had been inaugurated in a widely watched event.
“We don’t need a governor to mobilise for Mr President; we have all it takes to be on our own,” he added, citing support from senators, assembly members, council chairs, National Assembly figures and party leaders from both APC and PDP.
The FCT Minister said “Let them come to Rivers State and learn.”
He urged Akawor to extend the network to ward and unit levels, touting the new facilities as proof of “battle-ready” commitment.
“Unity is strength,” Wike said, crediting the group’s independent 2023 backing for current gains.
Akawor, in his welcome, hailed Wike’s “AI politics”—a nod, perhaps, to its algorithmic precision—and confirmed operatives in every local government.
NewsQuest reports that the event highlights Minister Wike’s enduring influence in Rivers State amid ongoing tensions with Governor Fubara, positioning the Renewed Hope initiative as a rival power base ahead of 2027 elections.
