A prominent Rivers State elder and former spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Anabs Sara-Igbe, has declared that no single political actor will determine the outcome of the 2027 governorship election in the state.

Sara-Igbe also criticised political godfatherism, arguing that Rivers people have become politically enlightened and are no longer willing to surrender their electoral choices to any individual.

His remarks came as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday declared that President Bola Tinubu is the only presidential candidate capable of winning Rivers State in the 2027 general election.

Speaking during his monthly media chat in Abuja, Wike said a broad political coalition comprising members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Labour Party (LP), the Action Alliance (AA) and other political groups had agreed to work together in support of Tinubu’s re-election.

“If anybody is counting Rivers, go now and cancel it. The only person that can count Rivers is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I’m not talking because I want to talk; I’m talking as a political realist because I know my people,” Wike said.

However, Sara-Igbe, who coordinates the South-South Elders Forum, insisted that the former governor’s perceived attempt to retain absolute control over the state’s political direction amounts to an affront to the people.

He disclosed that stakeholders were already working towards presenting a governorship candidate to challenge Wike’s political structure at the appropriate time.

“Rivers State will decide who will be their governor. One man cannot decide for Rivers State. What is happening in Rivers State is an insult. One man cannot insult the state, spit in our faces and ask us what we can do,” he said.

Speaking on the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Sara-Igbe said, elders who opposed moves to impeach the governor did so to defend the state’s democratic institutions rather than out of personal loyalty.

“We were not Fubara’s supporters. The support he enjoyed came from Rivers people resisting what they considered the activities of Wike. Once a man is elected, he becomes the property of the state and a symbol of Rivers State. As that symbol, we had to protect him,” he said.

Sara-Igbe expressed confidence that the political landscape would undergo significant changes before the 2027 elections, predicting what he described as a major realignment across the state.

“Before 2027, there will be a tsunami that will shake the whole state. When that tsunami begins, people will begin to see. This structure will collapse like a pack of cards. At that point, he will realise that one man cannot cook for the community,” he said.

He maintained that key stakeholders would unveil an alternative governorship candidate at the appropriate time, stressing that the collective will of Rivers people across the state’s ethnic nationalities would ultimately determine the outcome of the election.

Meanwhile, Wike maintained that the emerging political coalition continued to enjoy growing support across the state.

“All we are doing is for one purpose to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is all-inclusive and it is spreading like wildfire,” he said.

The minister dismissed suggestions that the coalition was designed to strengthen any particular political party, insisting that its primary objective was to attract greater development to Rivers State.

“For me, what matters is Rivers State. If Rivers State is relevant because projects are coming and people are benefiting from government, then I am satisfied. It is not about personal ambition; it is about the interest of the state,” he added. (The Guardian)

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