Rivers APC denies favouring Wike’s loyalists in screening

The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has denied allegations that aspirants loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were favoured during the party’s screening for House of Assembly aspirants.

The party also dismissed claims that aspirants perceived to be loyal to Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, were denied clearance.

Speaking with journalists at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, the state Publicity Secretary, Chibuike Ikenga, described the allegations as misleading and unfair.

According to him, Wike is not a member of the APC and had no involvement in the screening process.

“The FCT minister is not a member of our party, and bringing him into what we are doing in our party is not fair.

“So bringing in to say whether people who were cleared or uncleared belong to his own group or team, it does not fall in here properly,” he stated.

Ikenga noted that although Wike had publicly declared support for President Bola Tinubu, that should not be linked to the outcome of the party’s internal exercise.

Ikenga stated that the screening was conducted peacefully and transparently, noting that 33 aspirants were cleared while 65 were not cleared.

He explained that the screening exercise was conducted peacefully and transparently, adding that 33 aspirants were cleared while 65 were not cleared.

According to him, the party set up an appeal committee to review complaints from aggrieved aspirants, and the process had continued without disruption.

The Chairman of the Appeal Committee, Abdul Mahmud, said the panel received a full report on the screening, showing that 98 aspirants participated in the exercise.

Mahmud said the committee had been reviewing petitions from affected aspirants and would conclude its sitting on May 13, 2026.

He added that some aspirants who failed to submit required documents during screening had been given the opportunity to do so before the end of the appeal process.

According to him, the committee placed greater emphasis on documentary evidence rather than oral claims in its consideration of petitions.

One of the aspirants for Andoni Constituency, Gogo Friday, faulted the party for not officially communicating reasons for his non-clearance despite purchasing nomination forms and participating in the screening.

He said he was told that some of his nominators were not financial members of the party, while discrepancies in names on some of his documents also affected his clearance.

Another aspirant, Atuzie Collins, who is contesting for Obio/Akpor Constituency II, said he was initially disqualified over a spelling error on his voter’s card.

He said he had since sworn an affidavit to correct the error, arguing that it should not amount to disqualification.