The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has cleared 33 aspirants for the 2027 State House of Assembly primaries, with loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, dominating the final list.
The screening committee released its report after a two-day exercise held at the party secretariat in Port Harcourt, confirming that 65 other aspirants failed to scale through the process.
Among those cleared were all 29 serving lawmakers loyal to Wike and led by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol.
The Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, was reportedly screened for a House of Representatives seat.
However, aspirants believed to be aligned with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara were largely disqualified, including former factional Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo and two other pro-Fubara lawmakers.
According to the report signed by committee chairman Muraina Ajibola and other members, the exercise was conducted in a “transparent, orderly and participatory” manner.
“The Committee discharged its mandate with diligence, fairness, transparency, and fidelity to the democratic ideals and progressive principles of the Party,” the report stated.
The committee also revealed that one aspirant was handed over to the police after allegedly attempting to bribe members during the screening process.
“Mr. Tonye Garrick Tom-George… handed over an envelope containing money together with his passport photograph in an apparent attempt to improperly influence the screening process,” the report added.
The committee further disclosed that Victor Oko-Jumbo caused a scene at the venue after insisting on entering with security aides, leading to a confrontation with police officers before calm was restored.
Reasons given for the non-clearance of several aspirants included invalid affidavits, irregular party membership records, conflicting birth dates, failure to provide voter cards and inadequate nomination endorsements.
The latest development further highlights the deep political divide between camps loyal to Wike and Governor Fubara ahead of the 2027 elections in Rivers State
