The Chairman of the Rivers Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, has praised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for backing President Bola Tinubu’s presidential bid in 2023, describing the decision as pivotal to the political stability of Rivers State.
Alabraba made the remarks on Tuesday in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, during Wike’s thank-you visit to the community. He said the minister’s support for Tinubu had helped keep the state politically afloat and urged continuity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Rivers politics, Wike reaffirmed his commitment to President Tinubu, declaring that he would correct what he described as a mistake made in 2023 by openly supporting the president’s re-election bid in 2027.
“Here, we have shut the door; no other person other than Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the minister said.
Alabraba described Wike as a major figure in contemporary Nigerian politics, citing his pragmatic approach and leadership acumen. He recalled that in October 2025, Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, met with members of the Rivers Elders Council in what was widely viewed as a reconciliation move following President Tinubu’s decision to reinstate the governor after a six-month emergency rule in the state.
A statement by Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, had indicated that the meeting was attended by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, and that the Rivers political family was united at the time.
However, political tensions resurfaced in December 2025 after Governor Fubara defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a development Wike has repeatedly said does not automatically guarantee a second-term ticket.
According to Alabraba, Wike made two far-reaching decisions in 2023, one of which was facilitating the emergence of an Ijaw governor after 24 years. He described the current political rift as an aberration, insisting that the Ijaw people are not ungrateful.
“When you were concluding your tenure, you thought deeply about Rivers State. You sacrificed, fought battles and enthroned a successor from the Ijaw ethnic nationality — a crown that had eluded them for 24 years. You, an Ikwerre man, did it for us,” he said.
Alabraba added that Wike’s decision to align Rivers State with Tinubu’s presidential ambition, while retaining other political structures for his party, was instrumental to the state’s present standing.
“That singular decision is what has kept Rivers State afloat today,” he stated, assuring the minister of continued support from the people ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Rivers people know where to go. And with Wike, 2027, under the Renewed Hope, is the way to go,” Alabraba said.
In his response, Wike expressed gratitude to Rivers residents for standing by him in 2023 despite uncertainties surrounding Tinubu’s candidacy, describing their support as a show of trust and political maturity.
