The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that no politician in Rivers State can win the upcoming 2027 elections by just making big promises and trying to win people over with false hope.
The Rivers State ADC Chairman, Chukwudi Dimkpa, made the statement in a release issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.
Dimkpa was responding to comments made by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, at a civic event held in his honor by the Ikwerre Local Government Area in Omagwa on Saturday.
Wike had said that Rotimi Amaechi, the ADC’s vice-presidential candidate, would be defeated by 12 noon on election day.
But Dimkpa said Wike’s claim had no real meaning.
He explained that elections are not won through boasting, threats, or political leaders announcing results before they happen. He said that the people of Rivers will vote, the votes will be counted, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), not Wike, will declare the winner.
Dimkpa added, “On the day when Rotimi Amaechi was mourning his mother and people from all over Nigeria were traveling to Ubima, his hometown, to offer support to the family, Wike and the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area (Charles Wobodo) used the same route and occasion for a political event.
They blocked part of the road, caused unnecessary traffic, and turned the event into a platform to attack and mock a man who was grieving the loss of his mother.”
He continued, “There is a time for politics, and there is a time for compassion.
If Wike couldn’t set aside his political conflict with Amaechi even for the few hours when the man was laying his mother to rest, then the people of Rivers should ask themselves who really is caught up in this rivalry.”
He also said, “We chose not to respond to the provocation because our focus was on giving Mama (Dame Ezinne Amaechi) a proper burial.”
“But Wike should understand that Rivers State belongs to everyone.
No one owns the people, no one owns their votes, and certainly no one can announce an election result by 12 noon.”
Dimkpa urged the people of Rivers not to be scared or intimidated by anyone, and to make the right choice in 2027 by electing a trusted leader who will improve their lives.