The Chairman of the Rivers Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, has praised the decision by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to back President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid, noting that the choice has helped sustain the state.
Alabraba spoke on Tuesday in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, during a thank-you visit by the minister.
He described Wike as a prominent figure in modern Nigerian politics, applauding his practical political approach and strong leadership qualities.
It will be recalled that in October 2025, Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, met with members of the Rivers Elders Council in what was widely seen as a reconciliation effort, following President Tinubu’s reinstatement of the governor after a six-month emergency rule was declared in the state.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, it was disclosed that the meeting was attended by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule. The aide added that the Rivers State “political family is fully united.”
Despite this, political strains resurfaced in December 2025 after Fubara defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a development the minister has repeatedly said does not assure him of a second-term ticket.
Alabraba stated that Wike made two major decisions in 2023, one of which was facilitating the emergence of an Ijaw governor—an achievement he said the ethnic group had been denied for 24 years.
Speaking indirectly, he characterized Governor Fubara’s perceived lack of gratitude for Wike’s backing as an “aberration,” stressing that the Ijaw people are not known for ingratitude.
“When you wanted to conclude your tenure, your thoughts were also for Rivers State. You took two critical decisions. First, you sacrificed everything, fought many battles, and enthroned a successor from the Ijaw ethnic nationality — a crown that has eluded the Ijaw people for 24 years.
“You, an Ikwerre man, did it for us. What we are seeing in Rivers State today is an aberration. Aberration in the sense that the Ijaw, as rightly said by others, are not ungrateful people.
“The second decision you took, which is also impacting Rivers State today… You positioned Rivers State to support the candidacy of Bola Tinubu, while your party retained all the other seats. That singular decision is what has kept Rivers State afloat today,” he said.
Alabraba further reaffirmed the people’s loyalty to the minister, stating that they “know where to go” ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Let me assure you, Rivers people know where to go. And with Wike, 2027, under the Renewed Hope, is the way to go,” the chairman said.
In his remarks, Wike expressed gratitude to the people for standing by him during the 2023 elections, despite the uncertainty that surrounded President Tinubu’s candidacy at the time.
Touching on Rivers State, the minister said he would correct the mistake he made in 2023 while declaring support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
“Here, we have shut the door; no other person other than Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he stated.