Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has pledged to mobilise at least three million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, saying the state will reciprocate the President’s support during its political crisis.
Fubara made the commitment on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally held at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
The governor said the Rainbow Coalition would mobilise voters across Rivers State to ensure Tinubu’s re-election, describing the planned support as a response to the President’s intervention in the state’s political crisis.
Start tomorrow informed
Save your place for the morning brief. We’ll start emailing when delivery goes live.
Free. Confirm by email. Unsubscribe anytime.
“Mr President, we all know that a good gesture calls for reciprocity. As you have stood for us, we will stand for you. As you have supported Rivers State, Rivers State will support you equally,” Fubara said.
He added that his administration would leverage its grassroots support to deliver a decisive victory for the President.
“We will campaign, mobilise our people to secure and deliver a decisive victory with a vote not less than three million for Mr President,” he said.
Fubara explained that the political arrangement in Rivers would involve parties beyond the APC, with stakeholders operating under the Rainbow Coalition.
“Notwithstanding that I am an APC member, we are doing Rainbow Coalition. And in Rainbow Coalition, we have a slate,” he said, adding that the coalition’s candidates would be delivered in the 2027 elections.
The rally was attended by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is coordinating Tinubu’s campaign in Rivers State.
Wike said political stakeholders in the state had united behind the President, insisting that the rally reflected Rivers’ political strength.
“We did not mobilise anybody from any other state,” the former governor said.
Wike also criticised his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi, challenging him to account for projects he alleged were left incomplete during his administration.
He questioned the status of the proposed Caribbean White Specialist Hospital, alleging that $39m had been spent on the project without a visible foundation.
“Come and show us where Caribbean White Specialist Hospital is, where we paid 39 million US dollars. Come and show us where the foundation is,” Wike said.
He also questioned the outcome of a malaria eradication exercise and the completion of the Port Harcourt monorail project.
“You fumigated Rivers State that there would be no mosquito. Has mosquito gone? Is mosquito not biting you?” he asked.
On the monorail, Wike said: “Have you completed the monorail?”
The FCT minister further criticised Amaechi’s political record, referencing his role as Director-General of the APC presidential campaigns in 2015 and 2019.
Wike urged Rivers residents to support Tinubu, citing federal projects and appointments involving people from the state as evidence of the President’s commitment to the region.
He mentioned the Bori-Bodo Road, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and the Federal University of Marine Technology as examples.
Tinubu, in his address, thanked Rivers residents for supporting his emergence in the 2023 election and appealed for their backing in 2027.
“Give me the mandate. The mandate that I use to govern today, you are a positive contributor. I must thank you for going out there to vote,” the President said.
Tinubu defended his economic reforms, including the removal of petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange system, arguing that Nigeria was moving towards recovery.
He said 27 of the 36 states were unable to pay salaries when he assumed office, describing the situation as a major burden on families and the economy.
“27 of the 36 states. But ever since, we have reversed the decade. We are on the move for prosperity,” he said.
The President urged Nigerians to remain patient with the reforms, adding that retired workers were beginning to receive outstanding pensions and gratuities.
He also commended Fubara for maintaining peace during the Rivers political crisis, describing the governor’s response to the intervention as a demonstration of maturity.
“I want to thank you specifically for maturity, understanding, respect for the wisdom of elders. When we intervened, you respected our position. You maintained peace,” Tinubu said.
The President urged young Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in the 2027 election.
“This election is about you. It is not about me. Your future depends on this election,” he said.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima also called on Rivers residents to renew Tinubu’s mandate, saying the administration needed another term to consolidate its economic policies.
Shettima said the President had taken difficult decisions to stabilise the economy, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of exchange rates.
He claimed that Nigeria’s foreign reserves had improved significantly under Tinubu and predicted that the country could become a $1tn economy within five to 10 years.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the rally’s turnout and expressed confidence that Rivers would support Tinubu again. He also praised Wike’s role in the campaign.
Former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said Tinubu’s second term would focus on job creation, security, agriculture, transportation and infrastructure.
Oshiomhole said the President was committed to inclusive growth that would create jobs rather than economic expansion without employment.
The rally brought together APC leaders, governors, political stakeholders and supporters as the party intensified mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.
Discussion0