President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian youths to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and participate in the 2027 general elections, while Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has pledged to mobilise at least three million votes for the President’s re-election.
The two leaders spoke on Saturday during the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally organised by the Rainbow Coalition at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Addressing the gathering, Tinubu said the forthcoming election was particularly important to young Nigerians, insisting that their future depended on the decisions they would make at the polls.
The President urged eligible voters who had yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards to do so, describing the cards as essential tools for political participation and determining the country’s leadership.
“To the youth of Nigeria, I’m looking at you. This election is about you. It’s not about me. Your future depends on this election,” Tinubu said.
He added that young Nigerians should use their voter cards to influence the direction of the country rather than remain detached from the electoral process.
“It is left for you to use the weapon you have, and that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it,” he said.
Tinubu also linked economic development to efforts to tackle poverty, telling young people that his administration had begun laying the foundation for prosperity.
The President thanked Rivers residents for their support during the 2023 presidential election and appealed for their backing again in 2027.
He also commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for mobilising political support through the Rainbow Coalition, describing him as a development partner of his administration.
Fubara pledges three million votes
In his address, Fubara promised that Rivers State would deliver no fewer than three million votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The governor said the mobilisation would be coordinated under Wike’s leadership of the Rainbow Coalition, which brings together political supporters from different parties in the state.
He also assured the President that the coalition would work towards delivering its adopted candidates in the forthcoming elections, despite the involvement of politicians from different political parties.
Fubara said the arrangement would be sustained under the leadership of Wike, whom he acknowledged as the coordinator of the President’s campaign in Rivers State.
The governor’s declaration followed his public reconciliation with Wike after their prolonged political disagreement, which began in October 2023, months after Fubara succeeded him as governor.
The crisis had divided the state’s political structure and triggered a dispute involving the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Tinubu intervened in the dispute, which eventually led to a reconciliation between the two political camps.
Commending Fubara at the rally, the President praised the governor for accepting the intervention and maintaining peace in the state.
“Siminalayi Fubara, Your Excellency, the host governor of today, I want to thank you specifically for your maturity, understanding, and respect for the wisdom of elders,” Tinubu said.
He added that the governor would not regret his decision to embrace reconciliation.
Wike leads Rainbow Coalition mobilisation
The rally was organised by the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance led by Wike to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition while bringing together politicians from the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
The arrangement allows supporters of different parties to work together behind Tinubu’s presidential bid while adopting candidates from different political platforms for other elective positions in Rivers State.
Wike has defended the arrangement, maintaining that political supporters can back Tinubu for president while supporting candidates from other parties in governorship and legislative elections.
The coalition has, however, generated disagreements within the APC, with some party members expressing concerns about an arrangement that does not exclusively support APC candidates at every level.
Several political leaders attended Saturday’s rally, including Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The rally forms part of political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the presidential and National Assembly polls scheduled for January 16, 2027, and governorship and State House of Assembly elections fixed for February 6.
