The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed the confidence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the outcome of the 2027 elections in Rivers State, declaring that the people, not political strongmen, will decide the winner at the ballot box.
The Rivers State Chairman of the ADC, Chukwudi Dimkpa, made the declaration while reacting to Wike’s recent claim that the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, would be defeated by noon on election day.
Dimkpa described the statement as premature and politically presumptuous, insisting that no individual, regardless of his political influence, could determine an election result before the electorate had voted and the ballots had been counted.
“Elections are not won by boasts, intimidation or political strongmen announcing results in advance. Rivers people will vote, the votes will be counted, and INEC, not Wike, will declare the winner,” Dimkpa said.
The ADC chairman maintained that the 2027 contest remained open and that political circumstances could change considerably before election day.
He also rejected the notion that the political battle in Rivers State had already been settled, arguing that previous electoral victories could not automatically translate into future success.
“Every election is a new contest,” Dimkpa argued, stressing that voters could change their preferences in response to prevailing political circumstances, candidates, alliances and issues.
The latest exchange is part of an increasingly heated political battle between Wike and the ADC over Amaechi’s political relevance and influence in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike has repeatedly dismissed Amaechi’s capacity to determine electoral outcomes in the state, while maintaining that Rivers remains politically aligned with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The ADC, however, has challenged that assumption, insisting that no political alignment should be regarded as permanent in an electoral environment where voter preferences can shift.
The opposition party has further accused Wike of devoting considerable attention to politicians whom he claims lack significant electoral influence, arguing that his repeated attacks may suggest that the opposition remains a factor in the emerging political contest.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, Rivers State is increasingly emerging as a major battleground in the struggle for political influence.
For the ADC, however, the central issue is straightforward: political declarations may dominate the headlines, but it is the voters who will have the final say.
And when the ballots are counted, the party insists, the result will be determined by the people of Rivers State not by Wike or any other political heavyweight.
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