… Wike alleges ‘non-adherence to agreements’
… says ‘time will tell who gets ticket in 2027
Rivers State might be in for another round of political crisis as rhetoric that proceeded the declaration of State of Emergency have resurfaced in the state.
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former state governor, on Sunday December 28, 2025, warned that sudden declarations of support for President Bola Tinubu does not automatically translate to a governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike made the comment during a visit to his supporters in Emohua Local Government Area, held at the palace of Oha Sergeant Awuse, paramount ruler of Emohua and chairman of the South-South Traditional Rulers Forum.
The FCT minister stressed that claims of supporting the President cannot override existing political agreements, insisting that such agreements must be respected.
He said, “Some people have now come to begin to demand that we stand (on the President’s mandate). We are agreeing. We have taken it since 2023.
“The issue is not whether you are supporting Tinubu or for Tinubu or your mandate. That cannot give you any ticket. It cannot,” he said.
Wike stressed that President Tinubu’s return for a second term is already settled, but insists that support for the president should not be used as a bargaining tool in Rivers State politics.
“People, when it is tough, not when the jobs have been done, not when food is ready. If you like, carry the whole money for the rest of the day and start somewhere. This is not my business.
“My business is agreement is what? Agreement. Somebody wants to play with you with us. I will resist any attempt to think that anybody can come and tell us anything,” he said.
Wike criticized supporters of Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, who have recently declared support for the president, adding that the same group had earlier demanded that the seats of State House of Assembly members who defected to the APC be declared vacant.
“The Assembly had done their work. They were the first in Nigeria to say we will support Tinubu. The same people now who came to declare (for APC), took them to court, that they should declare their seats vacant.”
Read also: Wike slams Fubara for revealing Rivers funds, warns of political fallout in Rivers
Despite stressing that agreement is agreement, the minister did not disclose the specific nature of the agreement, or with whom such agreements were made.
However, during a similar visit to his supporters at Ikwerre Local Government Area, Wike restated the need for politicians to honor agreements they freely entered into.
He described as regrettable that some individuals are not honouring agreements because of the more than N600 billion naira currently in the state coffers.
The minister alleged that persons are now trooping into the state to publicly criticize him (Wike) in a bid to secure a share of the funds.
“The roles of everybody who had agreed on certain things to keep to it. Coming now to change because I hear that more N600 and something billion in the coffers of the state, it will not change anything. If you like, let there be billions of dollars, it will not change anything at all at all.
“You know Nigerians, they love Rivers money too much. So having heard of such money, the next thing people do is to come to Rivers State and ‘Wike’s own is too much,’ you collect. It will not change anything,” he said.
Wike further said people of Ikwerre ethnic nationality will continue to play a significant role in Nigerian politics and should not be ignored.
He warned that anyone who has benefited from the Ikwerre people but intends to repay them with harm should be prepared to face the consequence.
He also points to the role of the four Ikwerre local government areas in President Tinubu’s victory in Rivers State during the 2023 presidential election.
