The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has warned Rivers State residents against supporting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Wike accused the three politicians of treating the presidency like a game of chance, urging the electorate to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid instead.
Speaking on Friday at a Rainbow Coalition town hall meeting in Ayama, Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State, Wike told traditional rulers, party supporters and community stakeholders not to entrust their future to what he described as political gamblers.
“Don’t trust your destiny to political gamblers. Don’t trust your destiny to ‘kalokalo’ people,” the minister said.
Kalokalo is a Nigerian Pidgin expression associated with games of chance, including betting and slot machines.
Wike argued that some politicians repeatedly contest for the presidency every four years without presenting a clear vision for the country. He named Atiku and Amaechi, whom he associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as well as Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
“These people are political gamblers and you cannot give your destiny to ‘kalokalo’ people; you cannot hand over your destiny to political gamblers. Give (your) destiny to somebody who we know, who has tried all this, and he has done it,” he said.
The FCT minister maintained that repeatedly seeking the presidency without a clear plan for governance would not solve Nigeria’s problems. He contrasted Atiku’s repeated presidential bids with those of former United States President Abraham Lincoln, whom he said pursued office because of a clear national vision.
Wike also defended his record as a former Rivers State governor, insisting that voters should assess politicians based on the projects they have delivered rather than their campaign promises.
He challenged Amaechi to identify projects he had executed in Abua/Odual Local Government Area, pointing instead to projects completed during his own administration.
The minister also praised Tinubu’s government, claiming it had stabilised key sectors and restored industrial harmony in tertiary institutions. He urged residents to remain supportive of the administration ahead of the 2027 elections.
Wike called on the electorate to vote for Tinubu for president and Kingsley Chinda for governor, both under the All Progressives Congress (APC). He also endorsed Felix Obua for Rivers West Senatorial District and Solomon Boss for the Abua/Odual-Ahoada East Federal Constituency on the APC platform.
For the Abua/Odual State Constituency, he urged voters to support John Iderima of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Chinda, the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, commended Wike for taking the campaign from one community to another to mobilise support for Tinubu and other Rainbow Coalition candidates.
“This is a system that we will sustain when we come into government. We have learnt from him, and we will continue. It will be a bottom-up approach; the people will decide and determine their fate in government,” Chinda said.
Earlier, Professor Continue Eketu, speaking on behalf of the Abua/Odual communities, described Wike as his idol and highlighted projects executed in the local government during Wike’s tenure as governor.
“We have decided and agreed to vote massively for all candidates of the Rainbow Coalition,” Eketu said.
