The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed claims that any politician in Rivers State can determine the outcome of the 2027 elections through boasts, intimidation, or promises, insisting that the people will ultimately decide who wins.
Rivers State ADC Chairman, Chukwudi Dimkpa, stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday while reacting to comments attributed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Wike had reportedly declared at a civic reception organised in his honour by the Ikwerre Local Government Area in Omagwa on Saturday that Rotimi Amaechi, the ADC vice-presidential candidate, would be defeated by 12 noon on election day.
However, Dimkpa described the statement as inconsequential, stressing that election victories are determined by voters and not political declarations made ahead of the polls.
“Elections are not won by boasts, intimidation or political strongmen announcing results in advance. Rivers people will vote, the votes will be counted, and INEC, not Wike, will declare the winner,” he said.
The ADC chairman also criticised the timing and conduct of the civic reception, alleging that it was held along the route to Ubima, Amaechi’s hometown, on the same day the former governor was burying his mother.
“On a day when Rotimi Amaechi was burying his mother and people from across Nigeria were travelling to Ubima, his hometown, to commiserate with the family, Wike and the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Charles Wobodo, chose that same route and occasion for a political reception.
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“They obstructed part of the road, created unnecessary traffic and then turned the event into a platform for attacking and taunting a man who was mourning his mother. It was insensitive, provocative and embarrassing,” Dimkpa stated.
He said there should be a distinction between political activities and moments of human compassion, adding that Wike’s decision to continue attacking Amaechi during the burial raised questions about the nature of their political rivalry.
“There is always a time for politics and there is a time for humanity. If Wike could not suspend his political obsession with Amaechi even for the few hours in which the man was laying his mother to rest, then Rivers people should ask themselves who really is consumed by this rivalry,” he said.
Dimkpa explained that the ADC deliberately refrained from responding to the alleged provocation at the time because its attention was focused on ensuring that Amaechi’s mother, Dame Ezinne Amaechi, received a befitting burial.
“We refused to dignify the provocation with a response because our attention was on giving Mama, Dame Ezinne Amaechi, a befitting burial,” he said.
He urged Wike and other political actors to recognise that Rivers State belongs to all its citizens and that no individual or political group owns the electorate.
“Wike should understand that Rivers State belongs to all of us. Nobody owns the people, nobody owns their votes, and certainly, nobody can declare an election result by 12 noon,” Dimkpa added.
The ADC chairman also urged Rivers residents not to be intimidated by political rhetoric or threats, calling on them to make their choice based on competence, credibility and the ability to improve their lives.
He said voters should use the 2027 elections to elect leaders who can provide genuine value and meaningful development for the people of Rivers State.
