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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja and Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has urged Rivers State youths not to waste their votes on former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, describing the former as untrustworthy and the latter as a “fake man” who thrives on social media popularity.
Wike, who vowed to deliver Rivers State and the FCT for President Bola Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 presidential election, said neither Atiku nor Obi deserved the support of Rivers voters, insisting that the state would remain firmly behind the President.
His declaration came as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)/Rainbow Coalition in neighbouring Bayelsa State unveiled an elaborate campaign programme for Tinubu’s re-election, while questioning the capacity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in the state to mobilise sufficient grassroots support for the President.
The development has brought into sharper focus the cross-party political alliance being coordinated by Wike in parts of the Niger Delta, where PDP-aligned groups are mobilising for an APC presidential candidate while maintaining their separate political structures and interests.
Speaking at a meeting with youths of the Rivers Rainbow Coalition in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Wike accused Atiku of inconsistency and dismissed his repeated presidential bids as evidence of a politician driven by personal ambition rather than commitment to the electorate.
“I have been in the same party with Atiku Abubakar. He is not a man who keeps to his words. What he says in the night is not what he says in the morning,” Wike said. The minister questioned why Nigerians should entrust the presidency to a politician he accused of repeatedly seeking power without demonstrating consistency in his political commitments.
He also took a swipe at Obi, describing him as a “social media president” whose public appeal, according to him, was built around populist gestures rather than tangible achievements.
“You can make him the president of social media so that he can be going to IDP camps to be celebrating their birthdays and buying corn on the road.” Wike urged the youths to intensify their mobilisation for Tinubu, declaring that the President would enjoy the coalition’s support regardless of the candidates presented by opposition parties. “Whether you are Atiku, whether you are Obi, Rivers State is for Tinubu!” he declared.
The FCT minister maintained that political support should be determined by the development and benefits a government could deliver to the people rather than the personal popularity or campaign promises of individual politicians.
“We are not playing politics for the sake of it without bringing benefits to our people. After all, we are not looking for those who are fine or finer. We are looking for those who will do something that will positively impact Nigerians and the Rivers people.”
He cited the Federal Government’s infrastructure projects in Rivers State, particularly the Bonny-Bodo road and bridge network, as evidence of the benefits accruing to the state under Tinubu’s administration.
Wike also claimed that no fewer than 49 Rivers indigenes currently occupied prominent positions in the Federal Government, describing the level of representation as unprecedented. “What is important is: where is Rivers State, where are we going, and how will the election benefit Rivers State? That’s what we’re talking about.”
He directed that youths be adequately represented on committees organising presidential rallies and other campaign activities, stressing that their participation should extend beyond attendance at political gatherings to decision-making and grassroots mobilisation.
“The committee for the presidential rally must put a reasonable number of our youths,” he said.
Wike announced that the Rivers Rainbow Coalition would formally unveil its candidates on October 27, expressing confidence that the platform would consolidate support for Tinubu and other candidates endorsed by the alliance.
Meanwhile, the Rainbow Coalition’s campaign activities have extended to Bayelsa State, where the PDP-aligned group has released a timetable for Tinubu’s re-election campaign, beginning with three days of fasting and prayers from November 5 to 7.
According to the programme signed by the state organising secretary, T. Godspower, a campaign dedication and thanksgiving service will follow on November 8, ahead of the formal inauguration of the Bayelsa State Rainbow Coalition Campaign Council on November 9.
The inauguration will coincide with the opening of the coalition’s campaign secretariat for Tinubu and the unveiling of campaign buses donated by Wike, who serves as the coalition’s national leader and grand patron.
Distribution of campaign materials, including T-shirts, face caps and banners, to local government areas is scheduled for November 10 to 15, while the grand finale and formal endorsement of Tinubu by the Bayelsa PDP/Rainbow Coalition and other participating parties will take place on December 12.
Reacting to the timetable, the leader of the Bayelsa PDP/Rainbow Coalition, Alabh George Turnah, said the group intended to leverage the PDP’s grassroots structures to mobilise support for Tinubu across the state.
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Turnah, however, introduced a potentially contentious dimension to the alliance by questioning the grassroots strength of the APC leadership in Bayelsa, arguing that the President’s re-election campaign should not be left entirely in its hands.
“We are aware that it is too risky to leave the re-election of President Tinubu in the hands of the APC leadership in the state because of its lack of grassroots appeal in several of our communities. This is one of the reasons we are taking the lead to kick-start the campaign for President Tinubu’s re-election,” he said.
Despite the criticism, Turnah extended an olive branch to the APC leadership, urging its members to regard the Rainbow Coalition as a partner rather than a rival in the mobilisation for Tinubu.
He described Wike’s inclusion in the APC Presidential Campaign Council as recognition of the coalition’s capacity to attract support across party lines.
“President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated pragmatic leadership with the inclusion of our national leader and patron, Nyesom Wike, in the national Presidential Campaign Council. His inclusion shows the abiding confidence of President Bola Tinubu in the capacity of the Rainbow Coalition to galvanise votes for him across party lines in the January 16 presidential election.”
Turnah maintained that the PDP’s longstanding political presence in Bayelsa would provide a platform for the coalition’s mobilisation efforts. “It is significant to state that there is no other party in Bayelsa that has the grassroots appeal of the PDP. Bayelsans are in love with the PDP, and they are ready to follow us in voting for President Tinubu under the Rainbow Coalition.”
Turnah said the campaign would highlight Federal Government projects in the state, particularly those executed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), as part of efforts to demonstrate the benefits of Tinubu’s administration to Bayelsa communities.
Back in Rivers State, APC governorship candidate Kingsley Chinda pledged to prioritise youth inclusion, vocational training, education and community development if elected.
Chinda said his proposed administration would make bursary payments and students’ welfare a priority, with the chairmen of the state’s 23 local government areas expected to support initiatives aimed at improving opportunities for young people.
He promised to strengthen technical and vocational education from primary through secondary school levels to equip young people with practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
“Today, if we are talking about tiling, carpentry, and technical craftsmanship, people start looking towards Cotonou. We believe that very soon, if anyone wants the best tilers or the best electricians in Nigeria, they will come to Rivers State. There will be no compromise. We can only build the state if we build the youths.”
Chinda reaffirmed the coalition’s support for Tinubu, saying Rivers youths were committed to mobilising for the President’s re-election.
“The message we are sending out today is that the youths of Rivers State are unapologetically, unconditionally standing firm with Tinubu for President,” he said.
Rivers State Coordinator of the Rainbow Coalition Youth and South-South Coordinator of the City Boys Movement, Chima Aguma, assured Wike that the group would deploy its grassroots networks to mobilise support for Tinubu and other candidates endorsed by the coalition.
Similarly, Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Rivers State chapter, Bani Nwisabari, presented a recognition plaque to Wike in appreciation of what he described as the minister’s contributions to political inclusion and youth empowerment.
Nwisabari, who said he benefited from Wike’s appointment to the state Senior Secondary School Board, pledged continued support for the coalition ahead of the elections.
“Come 2027, the message is very clear and we will do the needful,” he said.
President of the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS), Justice Uranta, also pledged to mobilise students across the state’s 23 local government areas, tertiary institutions and the diaspora for Tinubu and the coalition’s governorship candidate.
Uranta cited the provision of a permanent NURSS secretariat among projects undertaken for students’ welfare, saying such initiatives would form part of the coalition’s campaign message.
Representatives of the various youth and student organisations at the meeting endorsed Tinubu and other candidates backed by the Rainbow Coalition, pledging to intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
