The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike says the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship ticket is not sure for Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The Minister said the governor’s recent declaration of support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu re-election bid would not guarantee him the APC ticket in 2027.
Wike spoke at the weekend during a visit to Enohia Local Government Area of Rivers State, amid the ongoing power struggles with Governor Fubara.
The governor had recently defected to the ruling APC, based on what political watchers say was part of the agreement the governor had with the president as exchange for his return to the Rivers Government House, after his suspension for six months when Tinubu declared state of Emergency in the state.
Other analysts insist that Fubara used the defection to warm himself to the president, and to possibly seal his return to office in 2027.
Some close political watchers even claimed that the president may be willing to ditch Wike for Fubara ahead the next presidential election, saying the FCT minister has become a political liability to him.
But, speaking on Sunday during his Yuletide visit to the state, the minister said the governor’s recent action would not guarantee him the APC ticket, saying the governor cannot use his support for the president as a bargaining chip, as the entire state are already behind Tinubu, and would support his re-election.
Wike: The issue is not whether you support Tinubu or not. That decision was taken long ago. Nobody needs to come here to tell me they are for Tinubu. Supporting Tinubu will not earn anyone a ticket.
“The Rivers State House of Assembly has done its job. They were the first in Nigeria to declare that, on your mandate, they would stand . So the Tinubu issue is no longer an issue. Do you understand me? Who in Rivers State is not for Tinubu? That alone cannot guarantee anyone a ticket.
“The same people who recently made public declarations are the same ones who took the Assembly to court, seeking to have their seats declared vacant.
“All those now chanting ‘on your mandate we stand’ failed when it mattered most. They could not vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We have never wavered in our support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. When we take decisions, we do so out of conviction, not because of what others are doing.”
Speaking recently following his defection to the ruling party, Governor Fubara had boasted that he’s in charge of the APC in the state.
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