…Praises Tompolo, Wike, APC Governors For Tinubu Re-Election Push
Director of Media of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), Bayelsa State chapter, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has declared that the opposition risks falling behind in the 2027 presidential election, citing early mobilisation by Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and some APC governors.
Eradiri, a former president of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide and former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youths and Environment, urged APC governors and stakeholders, particularly in the North, to intensify grassroots campaigns for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday, he praised Tompolo’s door-to-door campaign and Wike’s town hall meetings and stakeholder engagements under the Rainbow Coalition, describing them as examples of the early political organisation needed to secure victory in 2027.
“The Bayelsa State chapter of the Tinubu Support Group commends and appreciates Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, for the consistent door-to-door campaign that he is doing to mobilise support for Mr President, not only in the Niger Delta but also across the country,” he said.
Eradiri described Tompolo’s mobilisation as an expression of gratitude for what he considered the Tinubu administration’s contributions to Nigeria and the Niger Delta.
He added that the former militant leader was engaging influential stakeholders privately and committing resources to build support for the president beyond publicly visible campaign activities.
The TSG director also commended Wike for his political engagements in Rivers State and Abuja, saying the FCT minister had made sacrifices to reconcile political interests and rally support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“We acknowledge the commitment of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, who has maintained a busy schedule holding town hall meetings and stakeholders’ engagements in Rivers and Abuja through his Rainbow Coalition,” he said.
Eradiri also praised political leaders reportedly mobilising support in Kaduna, Katsina, Imo and Rivers states, urging other APC governors to follow their example.
“We don’t believe in luck; we believe that any man who works hard, the benefits of success will gravitate towards him,” he said, warning party members against complacency.
He challenged opposition parties to match the APC’s organisational efforts, arguing that political parties should prepare adequately for elections rather than complain about alleged irregularities after the results.
“The APC structures are planning and working hard to win the election, crossing the Ts and dotting the Is. The results will surely show in the election, and don’t complain if you fail to match the hard work demonstrated by the APC,” he said.
Beyond mobilisation, Eradiri urged the party to explain Tinubu’s economic reforms to Nigerians dissatisfied with their immediate effects, arguing that the policies required time to deliver their anticipated benefits.
He maintained that the president needed another four-year term to consolidate the reforms, insisting that a single tenure was insufficient to achieve lasting economic transformation.
“We have always believed that four years is not enough for true change and impact in a society. To consolidate on these reforms, the president surely needs a second term of four years to make it eight years,” he said.
Eradiri also appealed to northern political leaders to support Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that a second term would allow the South to complete its expected turn in the country’s power-rotation arrangement before younger northern politicians assume leadership.
“That is what we should be working for, so that the younger politicians in the North will take over after President Tinubu and continue on the trajectory,” he said.