Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in Rivers State, Dr. Chukwudi Dimkpa, has dismissed as misleading the claims made by one of the governorship aspirants, alleging that the conduct of the party’s governorship primary held on May 24, 2026 in the state was manipulated in favour of certain persons.
One of aspirants, Allen Ezekiel-Hart was allegedly quoted as saying that he would pursue all grievances within the party’s constitution and warned his fellow contestant in the primary, Dr Farah Dagogo against invoking the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s name to bolster his claim of victory at the primary election.
“We will exhaust every legal channel within the party. I will not rock the boat unnecessarily, but the party must recognise that I won the primaries,” he said.
Putting the record straight yesterday, Dr. Dimkpa stated that the party leadership remained fully committed throughout the exercise to transparency, fairness, and strict compliance with the constitution and electoral guidelines of the ADC.
The ADC state chairman noted that all aspirants were duly informed of the procedures that led to the primary and that everybody was given equal opportunity to participate in the process.
According to him, “the emergence of Dr. Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson as the party’s candidate was a reflection of the collective decision and overwhelming support of delegates and stakeholders across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.
He further refuted insinuations that the process was manipulated or influenced by any external interest, stressing that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi did not at any time interfere with or impose any aspirant on the party
Dimkpa maintained that the party sustained open communication with aspirants and their representatives throughout the exercise and urged members of the public to disregard statements capable of creating unnecessary tension or division within the party.
“The ADC remains united and focused. Our priority now is to consolidate on the success of the primary process and continue working towards providing credible leadership and a better future for the people of Rivers State,” he stated.
Recall that Dr. Gabriel Pidomson, former secretary to the Rivers state government was elected as the governorship candidate of the party for the 2027 election in the state. he defeated Farah Dagogo, Dr. Sokonte Davies and Ezekiel-Hart.
