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, charging its over 700 members to mobilise three million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Speaking at the inauguration in Port Harcourt, Wike, who coordinates the Tinubu Campaign Council and leads the Rainbow Coalition, said the target was achievable through aggressive grassroots mobilisation and sustained engagement with voters.
He urged members to abandon the conventional approach of organising large rallies, advocating instead for door-to-door campaigns and direct engagement with communities, families, markets and age-grade associations.
“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,” he said.
Wike challenged every campaign council member to convince at least five voters daily to support Tinubu and APC candidates contesting National Assembly elections.
“You must be found working. Take it as a point of duty: every day, I will get at least five voters that will vote for Tinubu and members of the National Assembly.
“If you multiply the number of people you win daily by the members of this council and the subcommittees, that is how we will hit the target,” he added.
The former Rivers governor disclosed that local government campaign councils would be inaugurated within one week, while the lists of subcommittee chairmen and members would be concluded by Monday.
He also assured party supporters whose names were missing from the central campaign council that they would be accommodated in the subcommittees, stressing that the broader structure would provide opportunities for more people to participate.
Defending the Rainbow Coalition, which comprises members of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), Wike described the alliance as a strategic arrangement capable of delivering an overwhelming victory for Tinubu through the consolidation of support across party lines.
He urged members to focus on promoting the achievements of the Tinubu administration in Rivers State and avoid distractions from opposition parties.
In his remarks, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, pledged his full commitment to the coalition, describing the newly inaugurated campaign council as bigger, broader and better coordinated than the structure that secured victory for Tinubu in 2023.
Fubara noted that former political adversaries had put their differences aside to work together for the state and the President.
“Nothing is impossible. The only thing that is not possible is to revive the dead. If we take this as a serious task that must be achieved, we will come out decisively with a stronger vote than what we did in 2023,” he said.
The governor warned against double-dealing, urging members to demonstrate genuine commitment to the campaign rather than professing loyalty publicly while undermining the coalition behind the scenes.
“I am here, and I say it boldly anywhere, any day, in private and in secret: I have taken this position,” he declared.
Earlier, the Director of Administration of the campaign council, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said the campaign’s foot soldiers were prepared to mobilise voters across the state’s 6,866 polling units.
Akawor said Rivers elders had already committed to delivering three million votes for Tinubu, expressing confidence that the campaign structure would reach every part of the state.