Get Guardian on Google• Fubara urges unity as Rivers APC, • Rainbow Coalition inaugurate PCC
Vice President Kashim Shettima, yesterday, sought the prayer, counsel and goodwill of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Shettima made the appeal when he led members of APC-PCC to the Oba of Benin’s palace in Benin City, Edo State.
“I have always found Your Majesty’s personal journeys particularly instructive. Before ascension to the throne, you represented Nigeria as a diplomat in many nations,” Shettima said.
“As we approach another democratic season, we seek Your Majesty’s prayer, counsel and goodwill. We value the role of the Benin throne, a promoter of peace, reconciliation and mutual respect. Your Majesty understands that what ultimately matters is the welfare of the people and the nation’s stability. We welcome your guidance and remain deeply ready to listen to the concerns of your Kingdom,” he stated.
The VP described the Oba – whose wisdom and disposition he noted are deeply admired – as one of the torchbearers of African culture and civilisation.
He congratulated the paramount traditional ruler on the cordial relationship that exists between the federal and Edo State governments.
MEANWHILE, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has warned members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Rainbow Coalition against divided loyalty, saying teamwork will be critical to delivering massive votes for President Bola Tinubu and other candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Fubara gave the charge yesterday in Port Harcourt, at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Rivers State, where he expressed confidence that the coalition could surpass its 2023 electoral performance if members worked together.
The governor said Rivers was capable of delivering massive votes for Tinubu, the APC governorship candidate, Kingsley Chinda, and other candidates of the coalition, but stressed that such an outcome would depend on unity and commitment among members of the campaign council.
He described the newly inaugurated council as bigger, broader and better coordinated than the structure that worked during the 2023 elections, when members mobilised support for his emergence as governor and Tinubu’s presidential victory.
“What the state is witnessing in the current political season is a repeat of the successful mobilisation done in 2022 and 2023,” Fubara said, expressing optimism that the expanded structure would produce a better result.
The governor said the inclusion of people from opposition camps in the previous elections strengthened the new political arrangement, but cautioned that members must set aside their differences and work towards a common objective.
He thanked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who coordinates Tinubu’s campaign in Rivers, and other political leaders for their efforts in establishing the campaign council.
Wike, who inaugurated the council, said members were selected based on their capacity to contribute to the campaign and deliver electoral results.
He charged them to mobilise votes for APC and Rainbow Coalition candidates contesting the presidential, governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections.
