The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified several high-profile aspirants in Rivers State ahead of the party’s 2027 senatorial and House of Representatives primaries, in a move that appears to favour allies of former Governor Nyesom Wike.
A list released by the party revealed that Senator Ipalibo Banigo, representing Rivers West and a former deputy governor, was not cleared to contest the upcoming senatorial primaries.
Others excluded include Tamunobaabo Danagogo, former Rivers State Secretary to the Government (SSG) under Wike and also a past cabinet member under incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, former senator Ojukaye Amachree, and businessman Jack-Rich Tein, a former presidential aspirant.
Meanwhile, the APC cleared Felix Obuah, former Rivers PDP chairman, to contest the Rivers West senatorial seat, alongside Senator Allwell Onyesoh for Rivers East and Barry Mwara and Osarosaka Ebenezer for Rivers South-East.
In the House of Representatives primaries conducted across the state’s 13 federal constituencies on Saturday, several Fubara-aligned lawmakers, including Anderson Allison Igbiki, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, and Boma Goodhead, were also screened out.
Conversely, Wike’s allies secured APC tickets in several key constituencies. Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, emerged unopposed for the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency I seat after polling 17,968 votes.
Other Wike supporters who won APC candidacies include Dumnamene Dekor, Solomon Bob, Blessing Amadi, Felix Nweke, and Chukwuemele Obuzor.
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