Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has inaugurated the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC)/Rainbow Coalition Presidential Campaign Council, setting a target of three million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Port Harcourt, Wike, who coordinates the Tinubu Campaign Council and leads the Rainbow Coalition, charged more than 700 members to intensify grassroots mobilisation across the state.
He urged members to move away from conventional rallies and adopt door-to-door campaigns, community meetings and direct engagement with residents.
“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 achieve the three-million-vote target, the former Rivers State governor directed each campaign council member to mobilise at least five voters daily.
He said the combined efforts of members and subcommittees would help the coalition achieve its target.
Wike also announced that local government campaign councils would be inaugurated within one week, while lists of subcommittee chairmen and members would be finalised by Monday.
Addressing concerns over the omission of some party supporters from the central council, he assured them that more people would be accommodated through the subcommittees.
Defending the Rainbow Coalition, which brings together members of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), Wike described the alliance as a strategy to combine support across party lines and secure victory for Tinubu.
He also dismissed a disclaimer issued by an individual claiming not to be part of the campaign council, explaining that the position had been allocated to another person with the same name.
The FCT minister urged members to focus on issue-based campaigns and highlight the Tinubu administration’s achievements in Rivers State, warning against distractions from opposition parties.
In his remarks, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, declared his commitment to the coalition, describing the newly inaugurated council as bigger, broader and better coordinated than the structure that secured victory in 2023.
Fubara noted that former political opponents had now come together to work for the state and Tinubu’s re-election.
He expressed confidence that the coalition could secure more votes for the President in 2027 if members remained committed to the assignment.
The governor also cautioned against double-dealing, urging members to demonstrate genuine commitment rather than publicly professing loyalty while working against the coalition privately.
“I am here, and I say it boldly anywhere, any day, in private and in secret: I have taken this position,” Fubara said.
Earlier, the campaign council’s Director of Administration, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said the mobilisation team was prepared to cover all 6,866 polling units across Rivers State.
Akawor reiterated the commitment of the state’s political leaders to deliver three million votes for Tinubu, adding that the campaign structure was ready to reach communities across the state.
