Senate President Godswill Akpabio has thrown Rivers State into the centre of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election calculations, declaring that the political peace brokered among key stakeholders in the state will deliver the South-South region to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akpabio made the prediction on Saturday at the Rivers State Rainbow Coalition rally held at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, where he credited the state’s political unity and the influence of Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, with strengthening Tinubu’s chances.
He told the gathering that the political atmosphere in Rivers had changed in favour of the ruling party, arguing that peace and cooperation among influential leaders were the critical ingredients for electoral victory.
“The ingredient needed in this zone, particularly Rivers State, to return you to the Villa on the 16th of January, 2027 is here and that is peace,” Akpabio told Tinubu.
He recalled that Rivers was the only South-South state won by the APC in the 2023 presidential election, insisting that the party could build on that performance to secure a stronger victory across the region.
But beyond Rivers’ voting history, Akpabio pointed to Wike’s position in the Tinubu administration as a major political advantage for the President.
He praised Tinubu for appointing the former Rivers governor as FCT Minister, describing the ministry as strategic and commending Wike’s performance in Abuja.
Akpabio argued that Rivers people had a reason to appreciate the President for giving their son such an important national responsibility.
The Senate President also used the rally to defend Tinubu’s economic policies, citing student loans, tax reforms, foreign reserves and infrastructure projects as evidence of the administration’s achievements.
He claimed that more than 100,000 students from Rivers State had benefited from the student loan scheme and other education support programmes.
On the economy, he said Nigeria’s foreign reserves had increased from $4.5bn to more than $50bn under Tinubu, while the government’s tax reforms had improved revenue generation.
Akpabio also highlighted the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying the project would stimulate commercial activities and create new economic opportunities along the coastline.
He defended the removal of petrol subsidy, arguing that it was necessary to eliminate corruption associated with the former arrangement.
The Senate President urged South-South residents to sustain their support for Tinubu, promising that the APC would intensify its mobilisation despite its confidence in its political strength.
He expressed hope that the rallies in Akwa Ibom and Rivers would translate into electoral gains, predicting victory for Tinubu and APC candidates in 2027.
The rally underscores the growing importance of Rivers State in the APC’s South-South strategy, particularly as Wike’s political influence and the evolving relationship among the state’s power brokers become increasingly significant to the President’s re-election calculations.