Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has declared that Rivers State does not need a sitting governor to mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Wike made the statement on Saturday in Port Harcourt during the commissioning of the Rivers State Renewed Hope Ambassadors headquarters, which houses Majority FM 89.5, a situation room, office facilities, and operational buses.
Commending the group’s coordinator, Desmond Akawor, for what he described as an aggressive grassroots mobilisation drive, Wike said Rivers State remains firmly committed to Tinubu’s re-election.
According to him, the state has already demonstrated its loyalty through the inauguration of coordinators across all 23 local government areas and zones, an event he said attracted national and international attention.
“I have said it before and I will say it again: Rivers State is a no-go area. This state is totally for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Wike said. “Nigerians all over the world watched as we showed that Rivers State is firmly on ground.”
The former Rivers State governor stressed that political commitment should go beyond verbal declarations, adding that the Renewed Hope Ambassadors’ investments in infrastructure and logistics reflect genuine support for the President.
“I challenge anybody to come to Rivers State and learn. Our commitment is not by mouth or by newspaper headlines; it is by action,” he said.
Wike dismissed suggestions that the absence of a governor aligned with the President could weaken Tinubu’s chances in the state, insisting that political structures at various levels are already fully mobilised.
“We don’t need a governor to mobilise for Mr President. We have senators, members of the National Assembly, state assembly members, council chairmen, and party leaders across APC and PDP. We have everything it takes to deliver Rivers State,” he said.
He added that true political support requires personal sacrifice and organisation, not reliance on presidential resources.
“If you say you are supporting someone, you don’t wait for that person to bring resources. You must show commitment, and that is what our leaders have done,” Wike noted.
He concluded by praising members of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors for what he described as a model of political mobilisation, saying Rivers State has become “the envy of other states” ahead of the 2027 elections
