Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has again made his position clear ahead of the next general election, openly backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to seek a second term in 2027.

According to the minister, his stance is rooted in an understanding that political power should remain in the South for a full eight years before rotating back to the North.

He emphasised that loyalty to this arrangement should override party differences.

Wike stated: “The South must complete their eight years, and completing the eight years it doesn’t matter which party we belong to give Mr. President the support to succeed.

“In 2031, after the South must have completed its eight years through President Tinubu, we will know what next.”

He also criticized individuals who, in his view, failed to support Tinubu during the 2023 elections but are now presenting themselves as committed allies.

Wike argued that such actions amount to opportunism and insisted that the public is not misled by sudden displays of loyalty.

Read Also

READ ALSO: I’m Nigeria’s Second Most Abused Politician After Tinubu – Wike

Addressing what he described as last-minute supporters, Wike called on them to respect existing political agreements, saying that, “no one can fool us with any emergency support for President Bola Tinubu.

“For us here, agreement is agreement. You can be signing on your mandate we shall stand, in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is good because we have been supporting the President since 2023, your new sloganeering won’t help you.”

The minister made these remarks during visits to Emohua and Ikwerre local government areas in Rivers State.

While addressing his supporters in Ikwerre, Wike recalled the political risks they took by standing with Tinubu at a time when many others were hesitant, noting that they adopted the ‘on your mandate we shall stand’ slogan when backing the President was still considered difficult.

Wike said: “In 2023 when it was difficult, when people never knew that Mr. President will emerge as President, all of us from Ikwerre stock knew politics is about risk, we know that, if you look at the votes that made him to win in Rivers, the votes were particularly from Ikwerre.

“When it mattered most, we stood on his mandate, not this people now coming to shout on your mandate, when it was important they couldn’t shout on your mandate.

“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.”