The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must complete an eight-year tenure, stressing that political agreements must be respected, particularly in Rivers State.
Wike made the remarks on Sunday during his Christmas visits to Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers State, where he cautioned what he described as “emergency singers” of the slogan “On your mandate, we shall stand” against sudden displays of loyalty to the president.
According to the minister, late political sloganeering cannot erase past positions or undermine existing agreements. He emphasised that consistent support, especially during difficult times, is what counts in politics.
“For us here, agreement is agreement. You can be singing ‘on your mandate we shall stand’ in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is fine, but we have been supporting the President since 2023. Your new slogans will not help you,” Wike said.
Addressing the Ikwerre people, Wike recalled that they took political risks to support Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election when the outcome was still uncertain. He noted that votes from Ikwerre played a crucial role in Tinubu’s victory in Rivers State.
“In 2023, when it was difficult and people did not know that Mr President would emerge, those of us from Ikwerre understood that politics is about risk,” he said. “When it mattered most, we stood on his mandate.”
Wike stressed that political support should be shown during challenging moments, not when circumstances are already favourable.
“You take stands when things are tough, not when food is ready. We took this position when things were tough, and we are still standing by it,” he added.
He further argued that equity demands that the South completes its eight-year tenure in the presidency, regardless of party affiliations.
“The South must complete their eight years, and completing the eight years, it doesn’t matter which party we belong to, we must give Mr President the support to succeed,” Wike said.
According to him, discussions about the future of power rotation should only arise after 2031, when the southern tenure would have been completed.