By Ify Okoli
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has
declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in
Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, will become the state’s next governor in 2027.
Wike, a former Rivers governor, made the declaration on
Tuesday at a reception organised in his honour by Ogbakor Ikwerre, the
socio-cultural organisation of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality, at Obiri-Ehie.
While acknowledging dignitaries at the event, Wike
introduced Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, as the “former
Minority Leader in the House of Representatives and, by the grace of God, the
next governor of Rivers State.”
Chinda’s emergence as the APC candidate places him at the
centre of the state’s 2027 governorship contest. If elected, he would succeed
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who, according to the report, has declined to seek
a second term.
The former governor also highlighted Chinda’s political
background as he endorsed his candidacy at the event.
Chinda, a long-time political ally of Wike, has been widely
regarded as Wike’s preferred successor following political realignments in
Rivers State.
Wike’s declaration therefore puts his support for Chinda
beyond private political calculations and into the public domain, with the
minister openly presenting the federal lawmaker as the man he expects to lead
the state after the 2027 election.
The governorship race is expected to be shaped by the
political alignments emerging in Rivers State ahead of the election. Chinda’s
candidacy, his longstanding relationship with Wike and the decision by Fubara
not to seek another term are among the developments highlighted in the report.
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