President Bola Tinubu travelled to Port Harcourt on Saturday to appeal for renewed backing from Rivers State ahead of Nigeria’s presidential election scheduled for 16 January 2027. Speaking at a rally organised by the Rainbow Coalition – a political group led by former governor Nyesom Wike – the president praised the recent reconciliation between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, describing it as a sign of “maturity, understanding and respect for the wisdom of elders.”
Addressing a crowd that spilled beyond the 40,000‑seat Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Tinubu thanked Rivers voters for their support in the 2023 election, noting that their votes were pivotal to his emergence as president. He defended his administration’s economic reforms, saying the federal government was clearing inherited liabilities such as unpaid pensions and gratuities, and that payments in 27 of the 36 states had already been regularised.
“When those people talk about hunger, remember that I am cleaning up the mess they created. Atiku was one of them. Ask him how he built a private university while in office as Vice President in charge of our economy. Who funded the university for him? It was your money, your effort!”
Vice President Kashim Shettima used the same platform to urge political leaders and supporters in the South‑South to back Tinubu’s re‑election, citing rising economic indicators and a surge in foreign reserves from roughly $3.9 billion to $60 billion over three years. He also dismissed opposition candidates, calling former Vice President Atiku Abubakar “intellectually malnourished” and NDC presidential hopeful Peter Obi “politically irrelevant and mediocre.”
Governor Fubara pledged to mobilise three million votes for Tinubu and affirmed his support for the Rainbow Coalition under Wike’s leadership. He thanked the president for intervening in the earlier political crisis in the state, promising reciprocal support in the upcoming election.
Wike, speaking after the rally, highlighted the large turnout as evidence of Rivers’ commitment to Tinubu’s second term. He cited federal projects such as the Bonny‑Bodo Road and the Federal University of Environment in Ogoniland, and claimed that 47 Rivers indigenes had been appointed to his administration. He also accused former governor Rotimi Amaechi, now ADC vice‑presidential candidate, of failing to account for $39 million earmarked for a specialist hospital and other state‑level funds.
- First Lady Oluremi Tinubu
- Vice President’s wife Nana Shettima
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio
- Speaker of the House Tajudeen Abbas
- APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda
- Presidential Campaign Council Director‑General Abdulaziz Yari
- Governors, Senators Magnus Abe, Adams Oshiomhole and Ifeanyi Okowa
- President’s Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila
Tinubu arrived in Port Harcourt from neighboring Akwa Ibom State, where he had earlier attended a rally and commissioned projects under Governor Umo Eno’s administration.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
