Director of Politics at Arise News, Sumner Sambo, has advised Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike to exercise caution in his political calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sambo said the emergence of an African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate from Rivers State could significantly alter voting patterns in the state.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Monday, he warned Wike against underestimating the influence of opposition figures and the growing challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His comments follow renewed exchanges between Wike and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi over political developments in Rivers.
On Saturday, Wike accused Amaechi of neglecting the state while serving as minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The FCT minister made the claim during a civic reception in his honour at Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Amaechi, a former Rivers governor, held the transportation portfolio between 2015 and 2022.“I think Nyesom Wike should also be very cautious in his statement.
For the vice presidential candidate of the ADC to come from Rivers State, it means that in the state, the vote will not go exactly the way he is thinking,” Sambo said.
“And don’t forget, look at the crowd that actually came out to receive Peter Obi and Kwankwaso over there. Yes, you can’t ignore these people except if these elections are not free and fair. That’s when you underrate people, especially in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.”
He described Rivers as one of Nigeria’s most cosmopolitan states, arguing that political leaders cannot simply impose their preferences on the electorate.“Rivers is one of the cosmopolitan states that we have in Nigeria.
"You cannot just put things in the mouth of people and think that it will be easier for you to ride roughshod,” he added.
Sambo also claimed that some APC governors are growing concerned about the political arrangement Wike is building.
They fear it could create confusion among voters on election day when choosing presidential, governorship and other candidates across party lines.
“If you look at Nyesom Wike and the governors in the APC right now, you see that the governors in the APC are already advising President Tinubu to be cautious of this coalition that Nyesom Wike is trying to put.
They are afraid that on election day, not many people will be able to decipher between voting for president, APC, and then voting for governors, PDP, and then maybe voting for some other party. So, the governors are already having a morbid fear that this coalition that Nyesom Wike is building may actually injure President Tinubu at some point,” he said.
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