Abuja: Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Sunday reaffirmed that Nigeria’s southern region must be allowed to complete its two full presidential terms of eight years, stressing that equity and fairness demand the continuation of power rotation.
Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, said Wike stated this position on Sunday, during his special Christmas visits to Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers.
While addressing the people, Wike maintained that President Bola Tinubu, a southerner, should be supported to complete his first term and re-elected for a second term until 2031, in line with the principle of power rotation in Nigerian politics.
He said that party affiliation should not stop anyone from supporting Tinubu’s second-term bid.
“The South must complete its eight years. It doesn’t matter which party we belong to, to give the President the needed support to succeed.
“In 2031, after the South must have completed its eight years under President Tinubu, we will know what to do next,” he said.
He advised politicians to honour political agreements to build the needed trust, confidence, and harmony among political actors and the electorate.
He reminded the Ikwerre people of the risks they took to support Tinubu during the 2023 elections, when others were not courageous enough to do so.
“In 2023, when it was difficult to campaign for Tinubu and when people were not sure he would emerge as President, the Ikwerre knew politics is about risk and they took the risk.
“If you look at the votes that made Tinubu win in Rivers, the votes were majorly from Ikwerre.
“So, when it mattered most, we stood on his mandate, not these people coming out now to shout on your mandate. When it was important, they couldn’t shout on your mandate.
“You take stands when things are tough, not when food is ready. We took this position when things were tough, and we are still standing by it,” Wike said.
