Wike says 70,000 will welcome Tinubu at Port Harcourt rally on Saturday
- FCT Minister Nyesom Wike says at least 70,000 people will attend President Tinubu's rally in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
- Wike spoke after inspecting the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, which seats 40,000, and said security and logistics are ready.
- It will be Tinubu's first visit to Rivers State since he was sworn in as President in May 2023.
President Bola Tinubu will hold a rally in Port Harcourt on Saturday, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says he expects at least 70,000 people to turn out to welcome him.
Wike gave the figure on Friday after inspecting the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, the venue, according to a statement from his spokesman, Lere Olayinka. He said preparations, including security and logistics, were complete.
The visit will be Tinubu's first to Rivers State since he was sworn in as President in May 2023. Wike said the President last came to the state as President-elect, when he commissioned projects while Wike was governor.
"We are highly elated to receive Mr President," Wike said, adding that Rivers people were eager for the visit.
Stadium seats 40,000, organisers expect more
The Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium holds 40,000 seated spectators. Wike compared it with the Yakubu Gowon Stadium, which seats about 16,000 and hosted the unveiling of the Rainbow Coalition candidates last week.
Asked whether the 70,000 target was realistic, Wike said he was confident. "All hands have been on deck. Security is tight," he said, adding that he expected the number to be met or exceeded.
Earlier on Friday, more than 80 campaign buses for the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, with coordinators from the 23 local government areas, moved through major streets of Port Harcourt before heading to the stadium. Tribune reported that the roadshow was led by the coordinator of the Rivers State Rainbow Coalition, Ambassador Desmond Akawor.
Wike, a PDP member, has been a leading figure in mobilising support for Tinubu's re-election. He said the rally would let candidates present their plans ahead of the 2027 general election, even though he said Rivers residents had already decided to back the President.
"It is one of those rituals that every political season, candidates will come and sell themselves to the people," he said.
What happens next
The rally holds on Saturday at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium. Wike said security arrangements had been strengthened for the event.
For the wider political season, the turnout will be watched as an early sign of how well the President's camp can mobilise in a state where the governing party and the opposition are both active.
