Tinubu Re-election Bid: Yilwatda Seeks Rivers Support »

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has endorsed the Tinubu re-election bid for 2027, describing the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima ticket as the most formidable presidential combination in Nigeria’s democratic history.

Yilwatda made the remarks on Saturday, November 7, at the Rainbow Coalition Presidential Campaign Rally held at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The rally, attended by APC supporters, political stakeholders and members of the Rainbow Coalition from across Rivers State and the South-South region, formed part of the party’s nationwide mobilisation for the 2027 presidential election.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the APC chairman said the Tinubu-Shettima ticket represented a combination of political experience, courage, capacity and tested leadership.

“The most formidable presidential ticket we have ever produced in Nigeria is the Tinubu-Shettima ticket,” Yilwatda declared.

He described Tinubu as a courageous leader who had demonstrated the willingness to take difficult decisions in the national interest, particularly in addressing Nigeria’s longstanding economic and structural challenges.

According to him, the administration inherited significant fiscal and economic difficulties, including unsustainable fuel subsidy expenditure, revenue constraints and mounting financial obligations.

He identified the removal of the fuel subsidy, the unification of the foreign exchange market and other economic policy adjustments as key components of the administration’s efforts to strengthen public finances and establish a more sustainable economic foundation.

Although acknowledging that the reforms had brought significant adjustments for households and businesses, Yilwatda maintained that the government was committed to addressing their impact through economic stabilisation measures, social interventions, infrastructure investments and policies aimed at expanding opportunities for Nigerians.

The APC chairman also highlighted the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme, particularly major highway corridors and proposed and ongoing superhighway projects.

He argued that strategic road infrastructure would improve connectivity, facilitate trade, reduce transportation costs and open up economic opportunities across different parts of the country.

“We have a President who understands that development cannot happen without infrastructure. He has initiated an ambitious infrastructure revolution through major highway projects that will connect different parts of Nigeria, open up economic corridors, facilitate the movement of goods and services and create new opportunities for our people,” he said.

Yilwatda added that the projects represented long-term investments in agriculture, commerce, industrialisation, tourism and national development.

He urged Nigerians to support the Tinubu re-election bid, arguing that the administration needed another term to consolidate its policies and enable more citizens to benefit from the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He described the 2027 presidential election as an opportunity for Nigerians to decide whether to sustain the administration’s reform agenda, which he said prioritised national development over political convenience.

Turning to Rivers State, Yilwatda expressed satisfaction with what he described as growing political support for Tinubu across traditional party boundaries.

He commended members of the Rainbow Coalition and other political stakeholders for supporting the President’s second-term ambition, describing their cooperation as important to national unity and development.

The APC chairman specifically expressed confidence in the political mobilisation capacity of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and other political leaders.

He predicted that Rivers State would deliver overwhelming electoral support for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“Come January 2027, Rivers State will stand still. With the mobilisation capacity of the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, and other political leaders and stakeholders, we are confident that Rivers will deliver maximum votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

Yilwatda expressed optimism that sustaining the administration’s reforms would eventually translate into broader economic prosperity across the country.

He added that the APC and its coalition partners were looking forward to returning after the 2027 election to celebrate what he described as a renewed mandate and a brighter future for Nigeria.