Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has labelled late converts to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2023 campaign mantra, “on your mandate we shall stand,” as opportunists who need to learn the value of keeping promises.
In a statement from his senior special assistant on public communication, Lere Olayinka, Wike said during his Christmas visit to Emohua and Ikwerre local governments on Sunday that real loyalty shows up when the odds look impossible, not after victory is certain.
“An agreement is an agreement,” he told the crowd. “If you want to sign ‘on your mandate we shall stand’ now, go ahead; we’ve backed the president since 2023. But fresh slogans won’t rescue anyone who broke their word.”
He reminded the Ikwerre crowd that their bloc delivered Rivers State when “people still doubted Mr President would win.”
“In 2023, when it was risky, every Ikwerre son and daughter knew politics means betting on a horse before the race is over. The votes that flipped Rivers came largely from Ikwerre.”
Wike contrasted early supporters with newcomers. “We stood on the mandate when it was unsafe to speak. It’s easy to chant once the table is already set. We took the risk then; we’re still standing there now.”
He ended with a reminder that the South must finish its two terms.
“President Tinubu needs the full eight years the South is entitled to,” he said. “Party label aside, let’s give him the backup required to succeed, and in 2031 we’ll decide the next step.”
