2027: Wike reportedly settles for George-Kelly, Chinda as APC, PDP governorship aspirants

Two core allies of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who also belong to the Rainbow Coalition, have been tipped to run for the governorship of the state in the 2027 general elections.

Whereas Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly has been picked to run on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Kingsley Chinda will run on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It was gathered that the duo were advised by the leadership of the Rainbow Coalition to purchase the governorship forms of the parties.

Following the declaration by George-Kelly, stakeholders in Rivers State were thrown into jubilation over the resolve that Wike has settled for George-Kelly to be a governorship aspirant for the primary elections of the APC.

It was gathered that the stakeholders were said to be happy that George-Kelly, who is from the Kalabari Ijaw extraction of the state, has joined the governorship race.

Kelly is a known political son of Wike and a loyal member of the coalition and his choice, if confirmed, would be in alignment with the general sentiment that someone from Ijaw should take over from Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

It would be recalled that George-Kelly contested the PDP’s governorship primary in 2022 and came second after Fubara, and was later appointed the Director-General of Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) by President Bola Tinubu.

Although at press time there had not been an official confirmation of claims, but a source within the Rainbow Coalition, who preferred anonymity, said George-Kelly had already purchased the nomination and expression of interest forms of the APC for the primary.

The source said: “Among all the coalition members, George-Kelly is the only one that has purchased the APC forms and we know that he would not have done so without the consent of the Minister.

“This is a sign that he has the blessings of the coalition leader and will eventually emerge as the candidate of the APC for the election.”

He further said, “This is where this game gets interesting. The leader of the coalition is a political sage and master strategist. When the report of Chinda emerged, he weighed the reaction of members of the public.

“That report created some storm even in the coalition because Chinda hails from Obio-Akpor and some people read the development as selfish. Apart from that, the name did not resonate with many stakeholders in the state.

“But immediately the report of George-Kelly on APC platform broke out, there was jubilation across the state. The report calmed all nerves because the name resonated among all the stakeholders especially the youths. People are happy that George-Kelly has joined the governorship race. We believe that Wike is receiving reports about the duo and analysing their personalities.

“One thing is clear. The objective is to present a loyal candidate that will appeal to all stakeholders including those who are standing with Governor Fubara. But George-Kelly despite hailing from the riverine Ijaw area of the state, seems to have the expected mass appeal. It is not about ethnicity, it is more about personality.

“We know that the leader of the coalition knows what he is doing. One thing is sure, the coalition will produce the candidates for the APC and the PDP in the state and the leader will engage in consultations to select one of them.”