The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that President Bola Tinubu must complete eight years in office, insisting that political agreements reached ahead of the 2023 elections must be respected, particularly in Rivers State.
Wike made the statement on Sunday during his Christmas visits to Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers State, where he cautioned those he described as “emergency singers” of the slogan “On your mandate, we shall stand” to honour existing political commitments.
According to the former Rivers State governor, sudden public displays of loyalty to President Tinubu cannot erase past political realities.
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“For us here, agreement is agreement. You can be singing ‘on your mandate we shall stand’ today, which is fine, but we have been supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since 2023. Your new slogans will not help you,” Wike said.
He stressed that political loyalty should be demonstrated during difficult times, not after victory has been secured.
“You take stands when things are tough, not when food is ready. When it mattered most, we stood on his mandate,” he added.
Addressing the Ikwerre people, Wike recalled that they took significant political risks to support Tinubu when the outcome of the 2023 presidential election was still uncertain.
“In 2023, when people did not know that Mr. President would emerge, those of us from Ikwerre understood that politics is about risk. If you look at the votes that helped him win in Rivers State, they came particularly from Ikwerre,” he said.
Wike further argued that power should remain in the South for a full eight-year tenure, irrespective of party affiliation.
“The South must complete its eight years. Completing the eight years does not matter which party we belong to; we must give Mr. President the support to succeed,” he stated.
He added that discussions about the future of power rotation should only begin after 2031.
“In 2031, after the South has completed its eight years through President Tinubu, then we will know what next,” Wike said.
