The Chairman of the Rivers Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, has commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s candidacy in the 2023 presidential election, saying the decision has helped to stabilise Rivers State.
Alabraba made the remarks on Tuesday in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, during a thank-you visit by the minister. He described Wike as an influential figure in Nigeria’s contemporary politics, praising his pragmatic approach and leadership style.
He recalled that in October 2025, Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, met with members of the Rivers Elders Council in what was widely seen as a reconciliation effort following President Tinubu’s reinstatement of Fubara after a six-month emergency rule in the state.
In a statement by Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, the meeting was said to have been attended by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, with assurances that the state’s political family was united.
However, tensions resurfaced in December 2025 after Governor Fubara defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a move Wike has said would not automatically guarantee the governor a second-term ticket.
Alabraba said Wike took two critical decisions in 2023, including facilitating the emergence of a governor from the Ijaw ethnic nationality, which he noted had not held the position for 24 years. In a veiled reference to the current political tensions, he described the lack of appreciation for Wike’s support as an aberration, insisting that the Ijaw people are not ungrateful.
He also said Wike’s decision to align Rivers State with President Tinubu’s presidential bid, while retaining other elective positions for his party, had played a key role in keeping the state politically stable.
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Alabraba assured the minister of the continued support of Rivers people ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying they were aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his response, Wike thanked Rivers people for their support during the 2023 elections, despite the uncertainties that surrounded Tinubu’s candidacy at the time. He said he would correct what he described as a mistake made in 2023 by fully backing President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Wike stated that Rivers State would stand firmly behind President Tinubu, adding that no alternative candidate would be supported ahead of the next presidential election.