2027: Wike Reaffirms 3m Vote Target For Tinubu

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has charged the newly inaugurated Rivers State APC/Rainbow Coalition Presidential Campaign Council to mobilise three million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Wike gave the directive in Port Harcourt during the inauguration of the over 700-member campaign council, urging members to adopt an aggressive grassroots mobilisation strategy to secure the President’s victory.

The former Rivers State governor, who coordinates the Tinubu Campaign Council and leads the Rainbow Coalition, said the campaign would depart from the traditional approach of holding large political rallies and concentrate on direct engagement with voters at the grassroots.

He urged members to take the campaign to communities, family gatherings, age-grade meetings and markets, where they would explain the reasons President Tinubu deserves another term in office.

“We are going to depart from that ceremonial campaign style of converging in one place and saying we are holding a rally.”

“Rather, we are going to go out to communities, to family meetings, to age-grade meetings, and to the markets to talk to them vigorously. Tell them why Tinubu should be re-elected,” Wike said.

To translate the three-million-vote ambition into reality, Wike assigned every member of the council a daily responsibility of securing at least five additional voters for Tinubu and National Assembly candidates.

“You must be found working. Take it as a point of duty: every day, I will get at least five voters that will vote for Tinubu and members of the National Assembly.”

“If you multiply the number of people you win daily by the members of this council and the subcommittees, that is how we will hit the target,” he said.

He announced that campaign councils would be inaugurated in all local government areas of Rivers State within seven days, while the composition of subcommittees, including their chairmen and members, would be finalised by Monday.

Wike also moved to address discontent among supporters whose names were missing from the central campaign council, assuring them that the subcommittees would provide opportunities for broader participation.

He explained that the campaign structure was designed to accommodate more supporters beyond those appointed into the central council.

On the Rainbow Coalition, which comprises members of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), Wike described the political alliance as a strategic arrangement capable of delivering an overwhelming victory for Tinubu.

He maintained that bringing supporters from different political parties together would strengthen the President’s electoral base and improve his chances of securing a decisive victory in the state.

The minister also dismissed a disclaimer issued by an individual who reportedly denied membership of the campaign council, explaining that the controversy resulted from confusion involving two persons with identical names.

He urged members to remain focused on promoting the achievements of the Tinubu administration in Rivers State and avoid being distracted by opposition criticisms and provocations.

In his remarks, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, declared his total commitment to the coalition, describing the newly inaugurated campaign council as bigger, broader and better coordinated than the political structure that secured victory in the 2023 general election.

Fubara noted that former political rivals had put aside their differences and joined forces to work towards a common political objective for Rivers State and President Tinubu.

“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.

The governor, however, warned against political insincerity and double-dealing, urging members to demonstrate genuine commitment to the coalition rather than professing loyalty publicly while undermining its activities privately.

“I am here, and I say it boldly anywhere, any day, in private and in secret: I have taken this position,” Fubara declared.

He also supported Wike’s assurance that those excluded from the central campaign council would be accommodated through the various subcommittees.

Earlier, the director of Administration of the campaign council, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said the coalition’s mobilisation teams were prepared to cover all 6,866 polling units across Rivers State.

Akawor reaffirmed the commitment of the state’s political elders to delivering three million votes for Tinubu, insisting that the campaign machinery was ready to reach every part of the state and mobilise voters ahead of the 2027 presidential election.