BY AHMED AKANBI
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has inaugurated the Rivers State chapter of the APC/Rainbow Coalition Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The inauguration, which took place in Port Harcourt on Thursday, brought together more than 700 members tasked with mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Speaking at the event, Wike, who coordinates the Tinubu Campaign Council, urged members to take their responsibilities seriously and work towards delivering three million votes for the President in Rivers State.
He challenged each member to convince at least five new voters daily, saying the target could be achieved through hard work and proper planning.
Wike said the campaign would focus on reaching voters in their communities rather than relying mainly on large political rallies.
He urged members to take the campaign to markets, family meetings, age-grade gatherings and other community meetings to explain why Tinubu should be re-elected.
The minister also announced that campaign subcommittees would be set up, with their chairmen and members expected to be ready by Monday.
He assured party members who were not included in the main campaign council that they would be given opportunities to serve in the subcommittees.
Wike said the Rainbow Coalition was designed to bring people from different political parties together to support Tinubu’s re-election.
He cited the reported comments of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, who said he would have joined the coalition if he were still active in politics, as an example of the platform’s ability to bring different groups together.
The former Rivers governor urged members to remain united, disciplined and focused on the campaign, warning them against being distracted by opposition activities.
In his remarks, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, pledged his support for the campaign council, describing the new structure as bigger and better organised than the team that worked for Tinubu’s victory in 2023 elections
He said former political opponents had now put their differences aside to work together for the President and the state, and expressed confidence that Rivers could deliver more votes in 2027 if members remained committed.
“Nothing is impossible, the only thing that is not possible is to revive the dead. If we take this as a serious task that must be achieved, we will come out decisively with a stronger vote than what we did in 2023,” he said.
He, however, warned members against pretending to support the campaign while secretly working against it, and urged genuine commitment to the coalition.