Wike Denies Endorsing Any Governorship Candidate, Says Coalition Will Decide Rivers 2027 Flagbearer
PORT HARCOURT — The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed reports suggesting that he has endorsed any governorship candidate for the 2027 Rivers State election, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon. Ogundu Kingsley Chinda.
Wike also clarified that the emerging “Rainbow Coalition” — a political alliance involving members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), APC, Labour Party (LP) and Action Alliance (AA) — has not yet settled on who will become the next governor of Rivers State.
He made the remarks on Saturday in Port Harcourt during a luncheon organised for candidates under the coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, while the coalition has agreed to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid, discussions on the Rivers State governorship ticket are still ongoing.
“In the Rainbow Coalition, we have not chosen who will be the governor of Rivers State. But we have party candidates who have emerged under the Rainbow Coalition. The only decision we have taken is that we are going to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Wike said.
He stressed that it was wrong for anyone to assume that any aspirant had already been anointed, noting that the final decision would come through consultations within the coalition structure.
Wike, who has often spoken about his influence in shaping the political direction of Rivers State, said the coalition remains open to all interested political actors willing to align with its platform.
“If you want to be important in the politics of Rivers State, come and join the Rainbow Coalition. If you want to be governor, come here. If you want to be senator, come here… You must come. If you don’t come, you cannot get it,” he said.
He explained that the coalition was designed as a broad political platform cutting across party lines, with its eventual candidates to be determined through internal consensus and negotiations.
The comments come amid growing political tension in Rivers State and increasing speculation over the 2027 governorship race, particularly involving frontline aspirants such as Hon. Kingsley Chinda.
The situation has also been complicated by ongoing legal and political disputes surrounding Chinda’s alleged defection and his resignation as Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, a recent Court of Appeal judgment in Port Harcourt sacked Chief Tony Okocha, a known ally of Wike, as APC chairman in Rivers State and invalidated actions taken under his leadership.
Political observers say the ruling could further reshape the APC’s structure and influence internal realignments ahead of the 2027 elections in the state.
