2027: We received’t make mistake once more in Rivers – Wike

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says the individuals of Rivers State is not going to repeat previous political errors forward of the 2027 basic elections.

Wike made the comment on Tuesday throughout a go to to Khana Native Authorities Space, the place he stated political actions would start in January 2026 and warned residents in opposition to making choices they could later remorse.

“We received’t make mistake once more. The primary one you will have accomplished – have they stated thanks?” Wike requested the gang, which responded within the adverse.

“So, should you make one other mistake, which means they may drive you out,” he added.

Though Wike didn’t point out Governor Siminalayi Fubara by title, the remark seemed to be a veiled reference to the continued political rift between each males.

Fubara, who succeeded Wike as governor in 2023, has presided over a deeply divided political setting in Rivers State, together with his administration entangled in a protracted energy battle over the management of the state’s political construction. The disaster later escalated right into a constitutional standoff that culminated within the declaration of a state of emergency and his suspension.

Wike additional said that political alignment within the state would now not be primarily based on celebration affiliation however on collective curiosity, declaring that Rivers now operates below what he described because the “Renewed Hope” political household.

“For us, there’s nothing like APC or PDP; what we’ve is Renewed Hope. We’re not voting primarily based on celebration however on the truth that we belong to 1 political household, which is the Renewed Hope household,” he stated.

In a serious political growth, Fubara defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in early December, reportedly rising because the celebration’s chief within the state.

Nevertheless, talking throughout an end-of-year media parley in Port Harcourt on Monday, Wike dismissed the defection as belated and politically insignificant, insisting that management inside a celebration is decided by construction and grassroots management, not by workplace or symbolism.

“Defecting to a different celebration doesn’t make you the chief,” Wike stated.

“Whenever you say you might be becoming a member of a celebration, you could have one thing to supply.”

“There’s nothing like 001. You register in your ward. If you’re 001, it’s solely in your ward. That’s not management.”

Wike additionally argued that Fubara’s defection didn’t alter the political steadiness in Rivers State, noting that 22 native authorities chairmen and greater than half of the members of the Rivers State Home of Meeting had joined the APC earlier than the governor’s transfer.

“He decamped with who?” Wike requested. “Management shouldn’t be as a result of you’re a governor or a minister. Management is about what you carry to the desk.”