A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Princewill Dike, has said the 700-member APC Presidential/Rivers Rainbow Coalition Campaign Council is a deliberate grassroots strategy aimed at delivering not less than four million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
The campaign council was constituted on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is a deliberate grassroots strategy aimed at delivering not less than four million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Dike, who spoke in Port Harcourt, said the large membership should not be mistaken for a ceremonial gathering of politicians, but understood as a well-calculated mobilisation machinery designed to take the campaign beyond rallies to the doorsteps of voters.
According to him, Wike has consistently demonstrated an unusual capacity for political mobilisation, coalition-building and grassroots engagement, adding that his approach to politics is built on strategic thinking, organisation and a deep understanding of the dynamics of power.
“For Wike, politics is more than an occasional engagement; it is a calculated enterprise that demands constant attention, strategic thinking, organisation and an understanding of the dynamics of power,” Dike said.
He explained that the strategy behind the 700-member council is to transform it from a ceremonial body into an active grassroots network, where members will move beyond gathering at designated venues to make speeches.
Instead, he said, members are expected to take the campaign directly to the people through door-to-door engagements and sustained interactions with voters across the state.
Dike said the mobilisation will target traders in markets, transport operators in motor parks, residents in their neighbourhoods and other segments of the electorate, to ensure that political communication is not restricted to campaign grounds.
“The objective is to ensure that political communication extends to every community where eligible voters reside,” he said.
He noted that Wike’s ambition is to see campaign operatives traverse every part of Rivers State where eligible voters can be found, with the intention of convincing them to support President Tinubu and the candidates of the Rivers Rainbow Coalition.
Dike said the approach places considerable emphasis on direct voter engagement, persuasion and the establishment of personal political connections, noting that an election campaign must be sustained at the grassroots if it is to translate popularity into votes at the polling units.
He said if members embrace the proposed approach, the coalition could record an unprecedented electoral performance in 2027.
He also disclosed that Wike plans to establish campaign councils at the local government and ward levels to provide opportunities for more party faithful to participate and to create a wider organisational framework for coordination from the state level down to local communities.
Dike, however, warned that beyond the numerical strength of the council, its success will depend on how effectively members translate their appointments into measurable grassroots activities.
“A 700-member council can only justify its size when members demonstrate commitment, discipline, coordination and a willingness to engage voters at the community level,” he said.
He added that the 2027 contest will test the strength of the structure, the commitment of its members and the capacity of the coalition to convert its political machinery into electoral support.
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