Wike, Fubara rally APC, Rainbow Coalition for Tinubu’s 3m-vote target

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have intensified preparations for the 2027 general elections, setting a target of three million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State.

The target was announced on Thursday during the inauguration of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC)/Rainbow Coalition Presidential Campaign Council in Port Harcourt.

Wike, who coordinates the Tinubu Campaign Council and leads the Rainbow Coalition, inaugurated the over 700-member council and charged its members to adopt aggressive grassroots mobilisation strategies to secure the President’s re-election.

He urged campaign officials to move away from conventional political rallies and concentrate on direct engagements with residents through door-to-door campaigns, family meetings, age-grade gatherings and visits to markets and communities.

According to the minister, every member of the campaign council should mobilise at least five voters daily in support of Tinubu and candidates of the National Assembly, stressing that collective efforts would make the three-million-vote target achievable.

Wike also announced plans to inaugurate campaign councils across all local government areas in Rivers State within one week, while the lists of subcommittee chairmen and members would be finalised by Monday.

Addressing concerns over the exclusion of some political supporters from the main campaign council, he assured them that they would be accommodated in the various subcommittees, which would provide opportunities for wider participation.

The former Rivers State governor defended the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance bringing together members of the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), describing it as a strategic platform for consolidating support for Tinubu across party lines.

He further urged campaign officials to focus on communicating the achievements of the Tinubu administration in Rivers State rather than allowing opposition criticisms and political disagreements to distract them.

In his remarks, Fubara pledged his commitment to the coalition, describing the newly inaugurated campaign council as bigger, broader and better coordinated than the political structure that secured victory for Tinubu and himself in the 2023 elections.

The governor expressed confidence that the expanded political alliance, which now accommodates former political opponents, would deliver a stronger electoral performance in 2027.

He, however, warned members against double-dealing, insisting that those who had publicly committed themselves to the coalition must demonstrate genuine loyalty and dedication to its objectives.

Earlier, the campaign council’s Director of Administration, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said the mobilisation strategy would cover all 6,866 polling units across Rivers State.

Akawor also reaffirmed the commitment of political elders in the state to securing three million votes for Tinubu, expressing confidence in the coalition’s ability to reach voters across the state ahead of the elections.