2027: Amaechi Recalls How APC Defeated PDP, Orders ADC Mobilisation

Vice-presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has announced plans to return to Rivers State as he urged party leaders and supporters to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.

Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor and former Minister of Transportation, made the remarks on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the ADC National Women League Conference in Abuja.

He called on ADC members outside the Federal Capital Territory to return to their respective states, local government areas and wards and build support for the party ahead of the election.

“Me, I am going on Wednesday,” Amaechi told the gathering, adding that he would also campaign in Kebbi, Yola, Rivers and Delta as part of efforts to support the party’s candidates at both the presidential and governorship levels.

Amaechi said the ADC would need sustained grassroots engagement to compete effectively in the 2027 election, arguing that presidential campaigns should not be concentrated in Abuja.

He also recalled the 2015 presidential election, when the APC defeated the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and attributed part of that victory to extensive mobilisation of women across communities.

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According to Amaechi, the APC campaign at the time involved taking its message directly to women in different states and encouraging them to turn out and vote. He urged ADC women to adopt a similar grassroots approach ahead of 2027.

His comments came as the ADC steps up mobilisation ahead of the presidential contest, with opposition politicians and groups also holding consultations on possible cooperation.

Amaechi further told ADC leaders that a victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 could push some opposition leaders out of active politics. He described the possibility as a reason for party members to intensify their efforts at ward level.

The former Rivers governor also linked his mobilisation campaign to economic concerns, citing the cost of living, poverty and access to education. He made claims about the number of out-of-school children and Nigerians falling into poverty, though those figures were presented as part of his political argument and were not independently established in the reports reviewed.

At the conference, Hajiya Titi Atiku Abubakar, wife of ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, also called on women to participate actively in the party’s grassroots campaign.

She highlighted rising household expenses, including the cost of medicines and education, and urged women to take the ADC’s campaign message to communities across the country.

The mobilisation drive comes amid broader opposition coalition discussions ahead of the 2027 election, with political parties and groups exploring possible strategies for cooperation and coordination.

Amaechi’s planned return to Rivers is particularly significant because of his political history in the state, where he served as governor from 2007 to 2015 before becoming Minister of Transportation under the APC administration.

2027: Amaechi Recalls How APC Defeated PDP, Orders ADC Mobilisation

2027: Wike Vows to Resign If Tinubu Loses FCT, Rivers

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has vowed to resign from office if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu loses both the FCT and Rivers State in the 2027 presidential election.

Wike made the declaration on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, while addressing members of the Apo Mechanics and Traders Association in Abuja.

He said the 2027 presidential election would provide a clear test of his political influence in the FCT, where he currently serves as minister, and Rivers State, where he was governor from 2015 to 2023.

Wike said he would announce his resignation on January 17, 2027, a day after the presidential election, if Tinubu fails to win the two territories.

“If I cannot deliver where I work, then I’m not worthy to be here. If I lose FCT, I’m not supposed to be FCT Minister. By January 17, 2027, I will announce my resignation as FCT Minister should the President lose in Rivers State and the FCT,” he said.

The minister challenged political appointees to accept responsibility for electoral outcomes in their respective areas, arguing that he should not remain in office if he fails to secure support for the president where he has pledged to deliver.

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Wike has become one of the prominent figures campaigning for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, despite remaining a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He has been promoting a cross-party mobilisation platform known as the Rainbow Coalition, which he says is focused on securing support for Tinubu rather than creating another political party.

At the Apo meeting, Wike declared his support for Tinubu for president and endorsed former FCT Senator Philip Aduda for the Senate.

He also said the coalition would support candidates for other elective positions in the FCT.

The former Rivers governor has announced plans to lead Tinubu’s 2027 campaign structures in both the FCT and Rivers State, making the two territories central to his political activities ahead of the election.

Wike has also linked his political mobilisation in Abuja to the infrastructure projects being undertaken by the FCT Administration.

He has repeatedly cited major road projects, including the Apo-Karshi Road and Bwari-Kubwa Road, as evidence of the administration’s efforts to improve infrastructure in the capital.

The FCT Administration has also approved projects in the health, education, security and power sectors.

Among them are plans to renovate and upgrade 14 general hospitals, resume work on the abandoned Utako General Hospital, digitalise the FCT High Court and provide electricity infrastructure to communities in parts of the FCT.

Wike’s meeting with the Apo mechanics and traders also centred on the planned relocation of mechanics and artisans from Apo to the Wasa informal sector.

The FCT Administration has said the Wasa site is being provided with infrastructure and facilities ahead of the relocation.

The political calculations surrounding Wike’s support for Tinubu have attracted attention because of his continued membership of the PDP. The former governor was one of the senior PDP figures who opposed the party’s presidential campaign structure in 2023 and has since maintained his support for Tinubu.

Wike’s latest declaration places his continued tenure as FCT Minister alongside Tinubu’s performance in the FCT and Rivers State, while he intensifies efforts to mobilise support for the president ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

For Wike, the outcome in the two territories will now carry a personal political consequence: resignation from the FCT Ministry if Tinubu loses both states.

2027: Wike Vows to Resign If Tinubu Loses FCT, Rivers

Pantami Re-emerges as PDP Governorship Candidate in Gombe After Fresh Primary

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has re-emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State for the 2027 election, after winning the fresh primary ordered by the Federal High Court.

Pantami secured 2,054 votes in the rerun conducted across the 11 local government areas of Gombe State on Tuesday, September 29, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, who polled 389 votes, and Aliyu Usman Garry, who scored 112 votes.

The result was announced at the Gombe State PDP Secretariat by the chairman of the party’s Governorship Primary Election Committee, Johnbull Shekarau.

The fresh primary became necessary after the Federal High Court in Gombe nullified Pantami’s earlier emergence as the PDP candidate.

In a judgment delivered on September 24, Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed ordered the PDP to conduct another governorship primary within 30 days, holding that the earlier process did not comply with the party’s internal rules and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

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Pantami had initially emerged as the PDP governorship candidate at the party’s May 26 primary through a voice affirmation. That process was challenged by Mailantarki and Garry, who questioned the procedure through which he was selected.

The court subsequently nullified the original primary rather than simply restoring or confirming Pantami’s first ticket. It ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh exercise in which eligible aspirants could compete.

The court also declined a request to disqualify Pantami or remove him as a PDP member over allegations concerning his previous membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Pantami had joined the PDP after withdrawing from the APC governorship contest, following the emergence of Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna as the APC’s consensus candidate in Gombe.

Following the judgment, the PDP cleared Pantami, Mailantarki and Garry to participate in the fresh primary held on September 29.

The rerun was conducted across 114 wards in the state’s 11 local government areas, with the three aspirants contesting for the party’s ticket.

Pantami’s latest victory therefore gives him a new PDP mandate to contest the Gombe governorship election, rather than a restoration of the ticket produced by the earlier, nullified primary.

However, the legal issues surrounding the contest may not be completely over. Lawyers representing some of the aspirants had previously notified the PDP of an appeal against aspects of the Federal High Court judgment and sought further legal relief. (Channels Television)

With the fresh primary concluded, Pantami is now the PDP’s declared governorship candidate in Gombe, subject to the completion of the applicable electoral and legal processes.

The development marks another stage in the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 Gombe governorship election, after the party was forced to repeat its earlier primary following the court judgment.

Pantami Re-emerges as PDP Governorship Candidate in Gombe After Fresh Primary