The race for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Rivers State has reportedly narrowed to three contenders, with Governor Siminalayi Fubara said to be facing stiff opposition from two loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to Daily Trust, the other leading aspirants are Kingsley Chinda, the lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, and Alabo George Kelly, a former Commissioner for Works during the Wike administration.
Reports indicated that the three aspirants had undergone screening for the party’s governorship primary, although the official screening report had yet to be released.
Ahead of the governorship primary scheduled for tomorrow, political tension was said to be rising across the state amid uncertainty over whether Governor Fubara would eventually be cleared to participate in the contest.
The APC Publicity Secretary in Rivers State, Chibike Ikenga, reportedly stated that the party had not yet released the governorship screening report, making it impossible to confirm which aspirants had been cleared or disqualified.
The uncertainty surrounding the governor’s participation reportedly followed the earlier disqualification of several lawmakers loyal to Fubara who had purchased nomination forms to contest for seats in the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate under the APC platform.
A political analyst, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene, was said to have observed that the ongoing political developments in Rivers State appeared unfavorable to Governor Fubara’s chances of securing the APC governorship ticket.
He reportedly lamented that the prolonged political crisis in the state had stalled governance for nearly three years, adding that ordinary residents of Rivers State had continued to bear the brunt of the instability.
Dumnamene further argued that any political agreement allegedly reached before Fubara assumed office should not override the governor’s constitutional rights as a Nigerian citizen.
The analyst also claimed that there were indications that candidates were being backed by the FCT minister to challenge the governor because of alleged prior agreements suggesting that Fubara would not seek a second term in office.
Further talking, he said, “If that actually happened, and now he is coming to seek second term in office, to FCT Minister and his camp, that is the violation of agreement he had already signed and the governor sees it as his right to contest second term in office, same as the FCT Minister served and left.
“If the governor goes to the poll with Kingsley Chinda and Alabo George Kelly tomorrow, there is a tendency that one of the Wike backed aspirants will emerge against the governor.”….Read_More…