The Arewa Youth for Peaceful Coexistence has warned that any All Progressives Congress (APC) governor from the South-South who fails to attend Saturday’s presidential campaign flag-off in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, would send a wrong signal about their commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The group said the presence of all APC governors from the region was necessary to demonstrate solidarity with the President and strengthen the party’s position ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement on Friday, its National Coordinator, Haruna Bature, described the rally, hosted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as an opportunity for political leaders in the South-South to demonstrate their support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Bature said it would be contradictory for any governor to profess support for the President in Abuja but fail to identify with him at a major political gathering in Port Harcourt.

He noted that Rivers State contributed significantly to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election, despite being governed by an opposition party at the time, attributing the outcome largely to Wike’s political influence and machinery.

The group warned that any attempt to stay away from Saturday’s rally could be interpreted as political sabotage, particularly at a time when the APC needed to consolidate and improve on its previous electoral performance in the state.

It urged the APC leadership and President Tinubu to recognise governors and political leaders who show genuine commitment to his re-election, rather than those who merely pay lip service to the project.

The group declared its support for Wike and expressed confidence that Rivers youths would mobilise massively for Tinubu in 2027, insisting that the Port Harcourt rally would mark the beginning of the President’s victory drive in the South-South. (The Nation)