BY AHMED AKANBI
President Bola Tinubu has assured Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara that he will not regret the sacrifices he made to restore peace in the state.
Tinubu also hailed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as a hardworking development partner whose commitment continues to power his administration’s infrastructure drive.
The President spoke over the weekend at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt.
Addressing the long-running rift between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, Tinubu commended both leaders for embracing reconciliation and restoring political stability.
He singled out Fubara for respecting the intervention of elders and accepting the concessions needed to end the crisis.
“Your Excellency, the host governor of today, I want to thank you specifically for your maturity and respect for the wisdom of elders. When we intervened, you respected our position, you maintained peace, you are a committed democrat. You will not regret what you have done, as long as all of us are alive,” Tinubu said.
He thanked Rivers residents for keeping the peace during the disagreement, describing the crisis as a misunderstanding within a political family.
Turning to Wike, Tinubu praised his work ethic and his contribution to national development.
“Today, I have many of you, Rivers people, in government, working so hard, particularly Nyesom Wike. Nyesom Wike is already a development partner of the Bola Tinubu administration. He’s doing a wonderful job, committed, very, very hardworking. A man with a mission who combines that with ambition. I hope you thank him for me for his contribution to the infrastructure development of our country,” he said.
Tinubu, delighted by the massive turnout, said he returned to Rivers to thank the people for supporting him in 2023, a support he said gave him the mandate he has exercised since May 2023. He urged them to renew it in 2027.
Speaking directly to young Nigerians, he insisted the 2027 election is about their future, not his ambition, and urged them to collect their Permanent Voter Cards.
“To the youth of Nigeria, I’m looking at you. This election is about you, it’s not about me, your future depends on this election. It is left to you to use the weapon you have, and that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it. The weapon you have against poverty is to elect progressive development of our economy, that is what I’m pursuing,” he said.
He assured youths that their education, welfare and skills remain priorities, describing the country’s emerging prospects as the beginning of a golden age.
“Your education, your welfare, your skills are extremely important to me and to Nigeria. I assure you this, we have started the golden age. Prosperity is here,” he said.
Defending his economic reforms, Tinubu recalled inheriting a difficult financial situation in May 2023, when he said 27 of the 36 states could not pay salaries.
“When I took over, 27 out of the 36 states were unable to pay salaries, you know what that means for family dependants, markets, and the population. But ever since, we have reversed the decay, we are all moving towards prosperity,” he said.
He accused previous administrations of leaving huge unpaid pension and gratuity obligations, saying his government is clearing them, with retired workers, including engineers and teachers, now beginning to receive their entitlements.
Tinubu also highlighted federal projects in Rivers, including the Bodo-Bonny Road and bridges across the Opobo Channel, which have improved access between Bonny Island and the mainland.
Earlier, Fubara pledged to mobilise at least three million votes for Tinubu in 2027, acknowledging Wike’s leadership of the coalition backing the President in the state.
Wike, who coordinated the rally, also assured Tinubu of Rivers’ support for his re-election, citing infrastructure investments and at least 47 political appointments given to Rivers indigenes as evidence of the President’s commitment to the state.