The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu is the only presidential candidate capable of winning Rivers State in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said anyone calculating the outcome of the next presidential election should leave Rivers State out unless the votes are being counted for Tinubu.

“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,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor disclosed that politicians from different political parties had formed a broad coalition to support President Tinubu’s re-election while working together for the interest of Rivers State.

According to him, the alliance includes members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP), the Action Alliance (AA) and other political groups.

“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,” Wike said.

He added that the coalition was expanding across the state.

“All we are doing is for one purpose, to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is all-inclusive and it is spreading like wildfire,” he added.

Wike dismissed claims that the coalition was aimed at strengthening any particular political party, insisting that its priority was to ensure Rivers State continued to benefit from the federal government.

“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,” he said.

Wike said his years in public office had given him a deep understanding of politics and leadership.

“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,” he said.

The FCT minister also recalled the 2019 governorship election in Rivers State, alleging that the state witnessed an overwhelming deployment of federal security forces during the poll.

“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,” he said.

He maintained that his political influence comes from the trust the people of Rivers State have in him.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed the emergence of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, describing the ticket as “dead on arrival.”

Speaking during his media parley on Tuesday, Wike argued that Amaechi no longer possesses the political influence required to deliver votes either in Rivers State or the South-South region, insisting that the former governor has consistently failed to produce electoral victories in recent years.

“Rotimi Amaechi being the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, I have come to know that indeed, it would be difficult for Atiku to become president,” Wike said.

“I’m sure the only factor that made him choose Amaechi may be financial. If it is in terms of bringing votes to support him, it is dead on arrival.”

The former Rivers State governor cited previous elections to support his claim, arguing that Amaechi had failed to secure strong electoral outcomes even while occupying influential political positions.

“I was minister of state, he was governor, he couldn’t put a governor. I defeated him very well,” Wike said.

“He has not won any election since after 2011 when I was the DG of a campaign.”

According to Wike, Amaechi’s record as Director-General of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019, as well as his support for Atiku Abubakar in 2023, demonstrated his inability to deliver Rivers State electorally.

“He was the DG of Buhari’s campaign in 2015 while he was governor, Buhari did not get 25 percent in Rivers. He was the DG in 2019 when he was the minister… Buhari did not get 25 percent. He supported Atiku in 2023, Atiku didn’t get 15 percent,” he said.

Wike also questioned Amaechi’s legacy in public office, arguing that holding prominent positions alone does not automatically translate into political relevance.

“Where is he an asset to Rivers State and South-South?” he asked.

“The fact you’re a former governor makes you an asset? You must be a former governor that still has followers.”

He further challenged Amaechi’s record as a federal minister, saying, “When you’re a minister, what did you bring to the table of your state? What did your government then do that has impacted the lives of Rivers people? It’s not about ‘I was a former this, I was a former that.”

Gubernatorial candidate of Action Democratic Party, ADP, in Oyo State, Mr Kunle Olatunji, has declared that governors elected on the platforms of All Progressives Congress, APC and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, failed the people of the state.

Olatunji made the assertion while speaking on the chances of the ADP ahead of the 2027 general elections in Oyo State.

DAILY POST reports that APC and PDP have ruled the state since the current democratic dispensation in 1999.

Olatunji in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday in Ibadan, said the ADP will dislodge the hegemony of the two political parties in the state.

He said the administrations produced by the two political parties did not introduce people-oriented projects.

According to him, the people of Oyo State deserve visionary, purposeful and people-oriented leadership which the two political parties failed to produce.

He added that Oyo State needs a capable hand who will restore its status as the true pacesetter.

Olatunji explained that the growing acceptance of ADP across the state is an indication that the people have rejected the two political parties.

“The growing acceptance of ADP across the state reflects the yearning of the people for a credible alternative after years of disappointment under successive administrations of the two dominant political parties.

“The people of Oyo State deserve visionary, purposeful and people-oriented leadership capable of restoring the state’s status as the true Pace Setter in governance, economic prosperity and human capital development.

“Our administration will introduce a total overhaul of the leadership and governance architecture of Oyo State. We shall pursue a development-driven agenda anchored on competence, accountability, empathy and collective responsibility,” he said.