Tinubu in Port Harcourt: I looked hopeless in 2023, you gave me the mandate

President Bola Tinubu returned to Port Harcourt on Saturday to thank Rivers State voters for the 2023 election and to ask for their support again in 2027, telling the crowd he looked "very hopeless" before that vote.

Speaking at the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally at Adokiye Amesiamaka Stadium in Igwuruta-Ali, near Port Harcourt, the President said the people came out for him when his chances seemed slim.

"I looked very hopeless, but you took doubt to support me, gave me the mandate. Mandate that I used to govern today, you are a positive contributor."

He said he came "purposely to thank you" and to seek a second term, adding that the 2027 election is about young Nigerians and their future.

Salaries, pensions and a jab at Atiku

Tinubu said that when he took office in 2023, 27 of the 36 states could not pay salaries, and that his government has reversed that. He also said pensioners, including retired teachers, engineers and welders, are now being paid what they are owed.

He urged young people to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), calling the card their weapon against poverty.

The President took a swipe at his rival, Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), asking how Atiku built a university while serving as vice president in charge of the economy. "A man without moral integrity, latitude, and ethics for the office," Tinubu said.

Atiku and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are named in reports as his main challengers in 2027.

Wike and Fubara praised

Tinubu described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as a development partner doing a "wonderful job" on infrastructure.

He also thanked Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his maturity during the state's political crisis, saying: "Fubara, you will not regret what you have done, as long as all of us are alive."

Wike, in his remarks, called the President Rivers State's brother, saying he stands with the state when it has problems. Fubara said the rally showed the bond between Rivers, the federal government and the President, and thanked him for projects including the ongoing Calabar-Lagos Coastal Road.

What happens next: The visit is part of Tinubu's campaign tour ahead of the 2027 general election, where he is seeking another four-year term.