Loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have rejected the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening exercise for aspirants seeking tickets to contest the 2027 Rivers State House of Assembly election.
Papers News reports that the controversy followed the release of a report by the APC screening committee led by Ajibola Muraina after a two-day exercise held in Port Harcourt over the weekend.
According to the report, 98 aspirants appeared before the committee, but only 33 were cleared to participate in the party primaries, while 65 others were disqualified.
Among those cleared were 28 serving lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. The lawmakers are led by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol.
The Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, who is seeking a seat in the House of Representatives, had already completed his screening at the APC national secretariat.
The report showed that aspirants believed to be aligned with Governor Fubara were among those screened out.
Former factional Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo, Sokari Goodboy, Timothy Orubibanugha and Chijioke Ihunwo were listed among those not cleared by the committee.
The committee stated that the screening process was conducted peacefully and in line with party rules.
It said aspirants submitted their documents while petitions against some contestants were also reviewed during the exercise.
According to the report, Victor Oko-Jumbo allegedly caused disagreement at the screening venue after insisting on entering with security aides before police officers restored order.
The committee also accused an aspirant for the Asari Toru 1 constituency seat, Tonye Garrick Tom-George, of attempting to influence the process with money.
The report claimed he handed an envelope containing cash and his passport photograph to committee members and that the matter was reported to the police.
The committee listed several reasons for disqualifying aspirants. These included missing voter cards, issues with party membership records, conflicting dates of birth, incomplete documentation, unpaid dues by nominators, and inconsistencies in names and affidavits.
However, confusion later followed the release of the report after the secretary of the screening committee, Tanko Yamowa, distanced himself from the document.
In a disclaimer issued on May 11, Yamowa described the circulating report as false and unauthorised.
He explained that the committee had only completed its work less than 24 hours earlier and insisted that no official screening list had yet been released by the party.
He urged party members and the public to ignore the document making rounds online, adding that official communication would come through the proper party channels.
Meanwhile, Tonye Tom-George denied the allegation that he attempted to bribe members of the committee.
He said he had never tried to influence anybody and challenged the committee to provide evidence to support the accusation.
He also said his lawyers would respond formally to the allegation.
Some of the affected aspirants also faulted the screening outcome. One of them, Gogo-Ogute Isaiah, who contested for the Andoni constituency seat, said he fulfilled all party requirements and had not been officially informed why he was disqualified.
He explained that he paid all dues, submitted the required documents and attended the screening exercise, adding that he only saw his disqualification online alongside many others.
Another aspirant, who spoke anonymously, questioned why all aspirants linked to Wike were cleared without any issues while others were screened out.
He argued that some of the reasons given by the committee, such as typographical errors and minor discrepancies, could have been corrected instead of leading to outright disqualification.
He also claimed the quick release of the report suggested the outcome may have been predetermined.
Another disqualified aspirant, Solomon Lenu, also criticised the process, saying the exercise did not reflect fairness within the party.
Lenu maintained that his documents were complete and that he fulfilled every requirement requested by the APC before the screening exercise.
He warned that the dispute could create division within the party ahead of the 2027 election.
