2027: Rivers Won’t Support ‘Kindergarten Governor Again, Says Ex-ANPP Chieftain
A former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Asukewe Ikoawaji, has issued a stern warning that the people of Rivers State will not support a “kindergarten governor” in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Online on Thursday night, the elder statesman criticized the current political leadership in the state, attributing the ongoing crisis to inexperience and weakness.
Ikoawaji’s comments come on the heels of renewed impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The former party chieftain did not spare the governor in his assessment, describing the administration as immature.
“Mark my words: in 2027, Rivers State will not support a kindergarten governor,” Ikoawaji declared.
He faulted Governor Fubara for displaying what he termed as “signs of weakness” in managing the affairs of the state.
“The truth is simple: if you are a governor, you should behave like one. You are answerable to the people who elected you,” he added.
Ikoawaji, who is a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed disappointment with the national leadership of the ruling party.
He accused the APC National Secretariat of maintaining a “studied silence” while its members in the Rivers State Assembly attempt to impeach a governor who has publicly aligned with the party.
“The governor is in the APC. The majority of local government chairmen are in the APC. The majority of members of the Rivers State House of Assembly are also in the APC. At the national level, the APC controls the Federal Government,” he noted.
“So what is the APC national secretariat doing? How can a ruling party allow its members to begin impeachment proceedings against their own governor and remain silent? This is not something to laugh about.”
The elder statesman also took a swipe at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and his ongoing grassroots tours in the state. He described the campaigns led by Wike, which are often attended by APC chieftains, as confusing and indicative of “kindergarten politics.”
“The FCT minister is not a member of the APC… Yet he goes on grassroots campaigns, and APC leaders follow him.
“The Deputy National Chairman of APC, South-South, the state chairman, senators and other APC leaders are there, but there is no APC flag.
“Instead, you see blue-white-blue, which does not represent APC. And the party leadership is watching,” Ikoawaji observed.
Drawing parallels to history, Ikoawaji warned that the APC is repeating the same mistakes that led to the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) downfall in 2015.
He argued that the influx of defectors and the party’s failure to address the immediate needs of Nigerians—such as electricity and economic stability—could cost it the next general election.
“A hungry man cannot wait three years for the economy to stabilise… These failures are the reasons for the problems we are facing today,” he concluded.
