Director of Politics at Arise News, Sumner Sambo, has cautioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, to be careful in his political calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sambo said the emergence of an African Democratic Congress, ADC, vice-presidential candidate from Rivers State could significantly alter the voting pattern in the state.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Monday, Sambo said Wike should not underestimate the political influence of opposition figures and the growing challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Sambo’s remarks come amid renewed political exchanges between Wike and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over political developments in Rivers State.
Wike had on Saturday accused Amaechi of neglecting Rivers State during his time as Minister of Transportation under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The FCT minister made the allegation during a civic reception organised in his honour in Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, served as Minister of Transportation between 2015 and 2022.
“I think Nyesom Wike should also be very cautious in his statement. For the vice presidential candidate of the ADC to come from Rivers State, it means that in the state, the vote will not go exactly the way he is thinking.
“And don’t forget, look at the crowd that actually came out to receive Peter Obi and Kwankwaso over there.
“Yes, you can’t ignore these people except if these elections are not free and fair. That’s when you underrate people, especially in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,” Sambo said.
He described Rivers as one of Nigeria’s most cosmopolitan states, arguing that political leaders could not simply impose their preferences on the electorate.
“Rivers is one of the cosmopolitan states that we have in Nigeria. You cannot just put things in the mouth of people and think that it will be easier for you to ride roughshod,” he said.
Sambo also claimed that some APC governors were becoming concerned about the political arrangement being built by Wike, warning that it could create confusion among voters during the 2027 elections.
According to him, the governors fear that voters may find it difficult to separate their choices across different political parties when voting for presidential, governorship and other candidates.
“If you look at Nyesom Wike and the governors in the APC right now, you see that the governors in the APC are already advising President Tinubu to be cautious of this coalition that Nyesom Wike is trying to put.
“They are afraid that on election day, not many people will be able to decipher between voting for president, APC, and then voting for governors, PDP, and then maybe voting for some other party.
“So, the governors are already having a morbid fear that this coalition that Nyesom Wike is building may actually injure President Tinubu at some point,” Sambo said.