Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike urged the Rivers Rainbow Coalition to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 reelection at an Oct. 20 Port Harcourt gathering, according to Voice of Nigeria and TVC News.
Independent and TVC News reported Wike questioning Atiku Abubakar’s reliability and using the phrase “fake man” about Peter Obi. The remarks were directed at two rivals on the 2027 presidential ballot.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lists Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Obi for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on its final presidential candidate list. INEC’s Rivers governorship list names CHINDA KINGSLEY OGUNDU as the APC candidate. Voice of Nigeria reported Wike plans to unveil the coalition’s candidates Oct. 27 but did not detail the scope of the event.
The Guardian has reported that the coalition brings together Rivers politicians affiliated with different parties. In July, the newspaper said Rivers Gov. Siminalayi Fubara endorsed both the coalition and Chinda. A State House statement also recorded Wike’s support for Tinubu at the president’s Oct. 14 campaign council inauguration. EconoTimes previously covered Wike’s campaign council role.
Wike cited the Bodo–Bonny road in making his case for Tinubu. The construction partnership among the federal government, Nigeria LNG and Julius Berger dates to 2017, before Tinubu took office. On Oct. 7, the Federal Ministry of Works included the road in an update on projects completed or ready for commissioning.
Wike’s announced coalition unveiling is scheduled for Oct. 27. INEC’s calendar sets the presidential election for Jan. 16, 2027, and the governorship election for Feb. 6.
