Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has said President Bola Tinubu is the only presidential candidate capable of winning Rivers State in the 2027 general election.
NEWSNGR reports that he said anyone making election calculations for the state should only expect victory for Tinubu.
Wike made the remarks on Tuesday during his monthly media briefing in Abuja.
He said a political coalition made up of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP), the Action Alliance (AA) and other political groups had agreed to work together in Rivers State while supporting Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
According to him, the coalition has decided to put the state’s interest above political party differences.
He said the group would support candidates considered best for the people, regardless of the political party they belong to.
The former Rivers State governor explained that candidates contesting for the National Assembly and the Rivers State House of Assembly would be chosen based on acceptability rather than party identity.
He said such candidates should be seen as representatives of the coalition instead of APC or PDP candidates.
Wike said: “If anybody is counting Rivers, go now and cancel it. The only person that can count Rivers is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I’m not talking because I want to talk; I’m talking as a political realist because I know my people.
“Today, we have PDP, APC, Labour Party, AA all together. We have candidates across different political parties for the House of Assembly and National Assembly. We will support the candidate who is most acceptable. Whoever emerges should not be seen as APC or PDP; the person should be seen as the coalition’s candidate.
“All we are doing is for one purpose to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is all-inclusive and it is spreading like wildfire.
“For me, what matters is Rivers State. If Rivers State is relevant because projects are coming and people are benefiting from government, then I am satisfied. It is not about personal ambition; it is about the interest of the state.
“I have been in politics since 1999. Nobody can teach me politics or tell me how to navigate it. Politics is about leadership and understanding the interests of your people.
“I saw what federal might means. Military personnel came with battalions as if Rivers State was at war. We survived it by the grace of God and fought back.
“Once the people trust you, they believe that what you tell them will happen. Leadership is about carrying the people along, and that is what we have continued to do.”
