Abe asks Amaechi to quit Atiku’s running-mate ticket, cites power rotation
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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday publicly closed ranks with other political leaders in the state, rallying support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 under the Rainbow Coalition.
At the unveiling of the coalition’s candidates in Port Harcourt, Wike declared that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members across Rivers and other states should support Tinubu, regardless of their party affiliations, while warning political actors against actions capable of reigniting the crisis that had divided the state’s political leadership.
The event brought together Fubara, former governor and Senator Magnus Abe, and candidates from six political parties, signalling a renewed effort to consolidate political alliances in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike, who leads the Rainbow Coalition, said the alliance was built on the need to overcome party differences, unite political interests and support Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“Every PDP member in Rivers State will support Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Every PDP member in Kwara State, you will support Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Every PDP member in Benue State, you will support Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
He extended the appeal to PDP members in Ondo, Ogun and other states, insisting that political affiliations should not prevent them from supporting the president.
Wike also took aim at former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, questioning their political positions and records.
He challenged Atiku’s reported ambition to emerge as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while criticising what he described as inconsistencies in the former vice-president’s political agreements.
The minister also revisited promises made during Amaechi’s administration between 2007 and 2015, including commitments on malaria prevention and other development issues. He further raised allegations relating to the handling of funds during the former governor’s tenure, referring to a judicial panel of inquiry and subsequent court proceedings.
Wike said the coalition was committed to peace and cooperation, warning that it would not accommodate political actions capable of plunging Rivers State into another crisis.
He thanked Fubara for attending the event and unveiling the candidates, describing the governor as part of the coalition’s political family.
The governor, in his remarks, acknowledged Wike’s role in his emergence as governor and described the gathering as an opportunity to rebuild relationships among political leaders for the benefit of the state.
“I’m really happy to be here. Not just being here, standing in the midst of my family. This is my family because I wouldn’t have been the governor of Rivers State if, by the grace of Almighty, I had not passed through my oga and other leaders to make it possible in our dear state,” Fubara said.
He expressed gratitude that the political leaders were coming together again despite their past disagreements.
“So no matter what has happened, I’m very grateful today that, one way or the other, we are back together for a better cause and for the good of our dear state,” he added.
Fubara pledged to work towards Tinubu’s re-election and ensure that political power remained within the bloc represented by the coalition.
Also speaking, Abe urged Amaechi to reconsider his reported decision to serve as Atiku’s running mate, arguing that such an arrangement contradicted the principle of power rotation between northern and southern Nigeria.
Abe said the Rainbow Coalition supported Tinubu on the grounds that it was the South’s turn to produce the president, recalling Amaechi’s previous arguments for respecting an understanding on power rotation.
“On behalf of all of us here gathered in Rivers State, we want to call on Amaechi to immediately respect his own position and resign as the vice-presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar, because it is the turn of the South, and Rivers State will stand by the agreement between the North and the South,” he said.
Abe urged Atiku to respect the principle of rotation and declared his support for the coalition’s position.
Speaking on behalf of candidates from six political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, said the coalition was seeking to replace divisive party politics with collective leadership focused on Rivers State’s development.
Chinda pledged that candidates elected under the coalition’s arrangement would pursue inclusive governance, taking into account the interests of different political parties, genders and religious groups.
“We are going to run a government for the people, that will place the interests of Rivers people first,” he said.
He said the alliance should extend beyond the elections, with participating parties contributing to governance, and pledged efforts towards peaceful polls, a smooth transition and an administration focused on development.
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