Wike tells Bonny residents to back Tinubu in 2027, citing Bonny-Bodo road

Residents of Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State should back President Bola Tinubu's re-election in 2027, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said, pointing to the completed Bonny-Bodo road as proof of delivery.

Wike spoke on Saturday during a courtesy visit to the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, in Port Harcourt, before a planned meeting with people of Bonny Local Government Area.

He said the road has finally given the island community a land route, ending years of travelling only by boat or helicopter. According to him, past governments kept treating the project as a promise, and it took the current federal administration to finish it.

Wike, who is coordinating Tinubu's re-election campaign in Rivers State and the FCT, said voters should look at what leaders have actually built rather than what they say. He argued that the road will make it easier to move goods and people in the oil-rich area.

Subsidy removal and state funds

The minister also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, calling it a hard choice that earlier governments kept avoiding. He said the money saved has raised what federal, state and local governments receive, and that states now get at least ₦15 billion a month from federal allocations, apart from other income.

He acknowledged that petrol prices and the cost of living have risen, but asked state governments to show what they have done with the extra funds.

Wike also said public universities have not gone on strike in the last three years, which he linked to better funding.

Turning to Rivers State, he raised questions about how past funds were handled. He alleged that $39 million was paid for a proposed 1,000-bed Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital but the project did not get past its foundation. He also claimed that $308 million from the sale of a power plant in December 2014 had fallen to $308,000 by the time he took office in May 2015.

Those are allegations. No court has convicted anyone over the claims, and the previous administration has not responded in these reports.

The monarch welcomed Wike and thanked him for his support over the years, including his role in setting up Bonny Polytechnic and his help on security matters. He also credited the minister with a significant part in getting the Bonny-Bodo road built.

Wike urged traditional rulers, youths and other groups in Bonny to agree on their most pressing needs and take them to government, so that resources go where they are needed most.

What happens next

The 2027 campaign is already taking shape in Rivers State, with Wike pushing the President's record on roads and economic reform. How Bonny residents and other voters weigh that record against higher fuel prices and living costs will show at the polls.