Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned political actors he described as “emergency singers” of the slogan “on your mandate, we shall stand” to respect political agreements, insisting that sudden declarations of loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not deceive anyone.
Wike said those now loudly professing support should understand that agreements must be honoured, stressing that his political camp has consistently stood with the President long before it became fashionable to do so.
“For us here, agreement is agreement. You can be signing ‘on your mandate, we shall stand’ in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is good because we have been supporting the President since 2023, but your new sloganeering won’t help you,” he said.
The minister made the remarks on Sunday during his special Christmas visits to Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
Addressing the Ikwerre people, Wike reminded them of the political risk they took in backing Tinubu at a time when many others were uncertain of the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
“In 2023 when it was difficult, when people never knew that Mr President will emerge as President, all of us from Ikwerre stock knew politics is about risk,” Wike said. “If you look at the votes that made him win in Rivers, the votes were particularly from Ikwerre.”
He stressed that genuine political support is demonstrated during difficult times, not when victory is already assured.
“When it mattered most, we stood on his mandate, not these people now coming to shout ‘on your mandate.’ When it was important, they couldn’t shout on your mandate,” he said.
Wike added that his camp remains unwavering in its position, having taken its stand when the political environment was tough.
“You take stands when things are tough, not when food is ready. We took this position when things were tough, and we are still standing by it,” he declared.
The FCT minister also reiterated his long-held position on power rotation, insisting that the South must be allowed to complete its constitutionally expected eight years in office.
“The South must complete their eight years, and completing the eight years, it doesn’t matter which party we belong to, give Mr President the support to succeed,” Wike said.
Looking ahead, he noted that discussions about the future would only come after the South has completed its tenure through President Tinubu.
“In 2031, after the South must have completed its eight years through President Tinubu, we will know what next,” he added.
Wike’s comments come amid heightened political realignments and public declarations of loyalty as preparations gradually build toward future elections.
