Two prominent politicians in Rivers State, Edison Ehie and Boma Iyaye, have denied nursing governorship ambitions for 2027.
Ehie, the immediate past Chief of Staff to the current Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and Iyaye, an ally of the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission, made the denials in separate statements issued in Port Harcourt and obtained by our correspondent.
Ehie was reacting to a poster circulating with his image alongside that of the former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Mr Dakuku Peterside, depicting them as gubernatorial aspirant and running mate under the platform of the African Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 election.
The poster, titled “Rivers Must Be Free From the Hands of One Man,” carries a sub-theme at the bottom reading, “We Must Take Back Our Rivers 2027.”
Ehie, in a statement he personally signed today dissociated himself from the poster and described it as mischievous and desperate.
He said the narrative was false and a calculated attempt to mislead the public and sow discord.
In a related development, Iyaye also denied having any ambition to become Rivers State governor in 2027 and rejected claims that he had been endorsed by Wike.
A trusted ally of Wike, Iyaye had been touted as the Minister’s anointed replacement for Fubara, a notion fueled by speculation that Fubara may not secure a second term due to a perceived loss of confidence in the minister.
Iyaye, who previously served as a two-time commissioner in the state, urged the public and media practitioners to rely on verified information and disregard any contrary reports concerning his alleged political ambition.
It would be recalled that the FCT Minister had recently stated that he has not endorsed any politician for next year’s governorship poll.
