President Bola Tinubu took his 2027 campaign energy to Rivers State, using the visit to applaud the much-talked-about reconciliation between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The two had been locked in a bitter political feud that rattled the state for months, so Tinubu's public praise of their peace signals how much the presidency values stability in that region ahead of the next election cycle.
He did not stop at the warm words, though. Tinubu also turned his attention to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, now running under the ADC platform, calling him out as one of the people who allegedly created the very problems the current administration is working to fix. It was a sharp, direct shot at a man shaping up to be one of his most prominent challengers in 2027.
With the election still two years away, Tinubu is clearly not waiting. The Rivers visit shows the APC is already moving to consolidate strongholds in the South-South, and the question now is how Atiku and other opposition figures plan to respond.
Originally published by Premium Times.