‘Dumo has been my friend’: Wike reveals conversation with Rivers NDC governorship candidate

Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike says he urged Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Rivers governor in 2027, to withdraw from the February election. Wike cited Lulu-Briggs’s age—nearly 70—and more than eight unsuccessful gubernatorial runs, advising him to sponsor someone else instead. He said he was confident that All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Kingsley Chinda would win. Wike acknowledged that one of the leading contenders would emerge victorious but said President Bola Tinubu’s re-election remained the priority.