The recently reinstated leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has announced that all the nominations that happened in the just-concluded primaries of the party in the state are null and void.
Recall that the primaries produced Kingsley Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as the APC governorship candidate in the state, after the withdrawal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Other allies of Wike, who is the immediate past governor of the state, also emerged as the APC candidates for the 2027 national and state Houses of Assembly elections.
Recall that Justice Elfreida Oluwayemisi Williams-Dawodu of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt upheld the decision of the Rivers State High Court that nullified the congresses that produced Tony Okocha as the chairman of the APC in the state.
The judgment was delivered on Friday, May 29. However, Daily Trust reported that Darlington Nwauju, the spokesperson of the APC’s reinstated faction led by Emeka Beke, said that as a result of the ruling, all the representations, nominations, documentations, communications and decisions taken on behalf of the state APC chapter between December 20, 2024 and May 29, 2026 are null and void.
He then called on the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to withdraw the certificates of return that were issued to the Okocha-led APC faction after the 2025 local government election in Rivers State and present them to the candidates of his faction, in line with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
Recall that the candidates of Okocha’s faction are running the affairs of the Rivers State local government councils currently.
Nigerians react as APC faction sacks Wike’s allies However, the report has started generating reactions from Nigerians. Below are some of their comments:
Geo Naseeb Ahmed Aliyu projected Fubara winning the game: “You can’t compare mathematics students and mass communication students at all, Wike is a mass communication student with the carry over…….! Fubara is a game changer.”
Hamza Albishir welcomed the development: “Excellent move. It’s good to tackle mädnéss with madnéss”
Amaechi Stephen urged Governor Fubara to stop the PDP candidate as well: “Wike’s main candidate is in PDP. APC abrakaba is a distraction. Fubara should ensure the PDP candidate did not win the gubernatorial election.”
Sunday Iyamojuko said the primary elections were conducted by the party’s national working committee: “Forget about all these, the APC primary elections were conducted by the National Working Committee and not the state chapter of the party.”
