FCT Minister urges Asari-Toru residents to support Tinubu’s re-election and the Rivers APC governorship ticket as coalition leader pledges more than 70 per cent of local votes.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has taken the Rainbow Coalition’s 2027 mobilisation campaign to Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, urging political leaders, traditional rulers and residents to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election and the Rivers State governorship ticket of Kingsley Ogundu Chinda and his running mate, Major Jack.
At a town hall meeting with political and community stakeholders, Wike outlined the coalition’s political position ahead of the 2027 general elections, seeking to consolidate support at the grassroots level for its preferred candidates.
The engagement forms part of the coalition’s wider mobilisation effort across Rivers State, where political alignments involving several parties have been brought together under Wike’s leadership.
Wike Seeks Traditional Blessings Before Town Hall
Before the town hall meeting, Wike paid a courtesy visit to the Regent of the Kalabari Kingdom, Chief Dr Charles I. T. Numbere, at the King Amachree Hall.
The visit provided an opportunity for the FCT Minister to seek the goodwill and traditional blessings of the Kalabari institution before engaging political leaders and residents of Asari-Toru.
The sequence also placed the traditional institution within the coalition’s broader community engagement, particularly given the significance of Kalabari political and cultural leadership in the local government area.
At the subsequent town hall meeting, Wike called on residents to support Tinubu’s second-term bid in the presidential election scheduled for January 2027.
He also canvassed support for Chinda and Major Jack, the coalition’s preferred governorship ticket for Rivers State.
The campaign places particular emphasis on bringing political leaders, traditional institutions, women, market groups and young people into the coalition’s mobilisation structure.
ASALGA Leader Promises More Than 70 Per Cent Support
Responding to Wike’s appeal, Dr Dax George-Kelly, identified as the Rainbow Coalition’s leader in Asari-Toru, pledged the local government’s commitment to the coalition’s political objectives.
He expressed confidence that ASALGA would deliver more than 70 per cent of the votes for the coalition’s presidential and governorship candidates in the 2027 elections.
The pledge represents an ambitious political commitment from the local coalition leadership.
Nevertheless, it remains a political assurance rather than an independently verified measure of voter preference. Its eventual significance will depend on the ability of the coalition to translate its organisational structures and public declarations into actual support at the polling units.
The town hall brought together representatives of the area’s political and traditional leadership, including traditional rulers, community elders, political stakeholders, women leaders, market women and youths.
Their participation provided a platform for the coalition to communicate its position across different sections of the local community.
Chinda and Major Jack’s Ticket Takes Shape
The Asari-Toru mobilisation comes as the Rainbow Coalition consolidates its preferred candidates ahead of the Rivers governorship election.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike had earlier appeared together at the coalition’s candidate unveiling in Port Harcourt on 27 October, where Chinda was presented as the governorship candidate and Major Jack as his running mate.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s published final list identifies Chinda Kingsley Ogundu as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate. His running mate is listed as Jack Major Miakiapuye.
The coalition brings together six political parties: the APC, Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party and Action Alliance.
Wike previously described the alliance’s purpose at its Port Harcourt unveiling, saying:
“I have said, and let me reiterate, that the Rainbow Coalition means no harm, but to bring people from all the various political parties together to support Tinubu.”
The statement reflects the coalition’s stated objective of building a political alliance across party boundaries to support the President and its preferred candidates.
Coalition Faces the Test of Political Inclusion
Despite the public display of cooperation, the Rainbow Coalition’s internal structure has also attracted questions about how participating parties will share political opportunities.
A report by The Punch on 2 November highlighted concerns over the distribution of elective positions, noting that the APC and PDP secured the available coalition-backed tickets for several legislative positions, while the other participating parties did not produce candidates for those positions.
Labour Party chieftain Favour Reuben questioned the coalition’s promises of future inclusion, arguing that political arrangements should demonstrate fairness before elections rather than rely entirely on post-election assurances.
He said: “Any promise by politicians that when I win I do this is a lie.”
These concerns present an important test for an alliance whose stated objective is to bring different political interests together.
For the coalition, the challenge is not simply assembling political leaders and securing public endorsements. It is also demonstrating that its participating parties and their supporters have a meaningful place in the arrangement.
2027 Elections Put Grassroots Mobilisation in Focus
The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for 16 January 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on 6 February 2027.
With the elections approaching, the ASALGA engagement represents another step in the Rainbow Coalition’s efforts to build support for Tinubu and its Rivers State governorship ticket.
The promise of more than 70 per cent support from Asari-Toru has given the mobilisation exercise a measurable political target, at least from the perspective of the local coalition leadership.
Whether that commitment will translate into votes remains to be determined at the ballot box.
For now, Wike’s engagement in ASALGA demonstrates the coalition’s intention to take its 2027 political message beyond Port Harcourt and into the local communities whose participation will shape the electoral contest in Rivers State.
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