“Remove Rivers From Your Political Calculations, It Is No-go-area For Opposition Parties” – Wike

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the votes of Rivers State electorate are exclusively reserved for president Bola Tinubu and candidates of his ” Rainbow Coalition”

This is as he remained adamant that former Governor of the State, and Presidential running mate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Rotimi Amaechi,  has no significant electoral value in the oil rich state ahead of the 2027 polls.

At his monthly media chat on Tuesday, Wike the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, advised all political actors and their parties to remove Rivers State from their permutations.

According to him, his  “Rainbow Coalition” comprising the Peoples Democratic party PDP ,the All Progressive Congress APC , Labour Party LP and the Action Alliance AA has appropriated the votes of Rivers people, with President Tinubu as its preferred choice.

“If anybody is counting Rivers, go now and cancel it. The only person that can count Rivers is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I am not talking because I want to talk. I am talking as a political realist because I know my people.

“Today, we have PDP , APC ,LP and 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 coalition’s candidate.

“And in the Coalition, we are driven by one common goal – to support and deliver president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is all-inclusive, and it is spreading like wildlife”, Wike boasted.

He emphasized that the coalition was never formed to promote any one political party ,but to strategically align with like-minded people for the purpose of delivering president Tinubu for second term in office and to protect the wider interest of Rivers state.

“For me, what matters is Rivers State. If Rivers State is relevant because projects are coming, and people are benefitting from Government ,then I am satisfied. It is about the interest of the State” the FCT Minister added .

Wike insisted that despite being a presidential running mate, Amaechi will not make any impact in Rivers State during the elections.