Rivers APC Rejects Claims Of Bias In Assembly Aspirants’ Screening

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has dismissed allegations that aspirants linked to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were favoured during the screening of House of Assembly aspirants.

The party also refuted claims that aspirants believed to be loyal to Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, were denied clearance.

Addressing journalists at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chibuike Ikenga, described the allegations as misleading and unfounded.

Ikenga stressed that Wike is not a member of the APC and played no role in the screening exercise.

“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.

He added that although Wike had openly declared support for President Bola Tinubu, such support should not be interpreted as having any influence on the party’s internal processes.

Ikenga maintained that the screening exercise was conducted in a peaceful and transparent manner, revealing that out of 98 aspirants screened, 33 were cleared while 65 failed to secure clearance.

He further disclosed that the party constituted an appeal committee to handle complaints from dissatisfied aspirants, noting that the process had progressed smoothly.

Chairman of the Appeal Committee, Abdul Mahmud, said the panel received a comprehensive report on the screening exercise and had since been reviewing petitions submitted by affected aspirants.

Mahmud stated that the committee would conclude its sitting on May 13, 2026, adding that aspirants who failed to provide necessary documents during screening were given another opportunity to submit them before the appeal process ends.

According to him, the committee relied more on documentary evidence than oral submissions in determining the petitions before it.

One of the aspirants for Andoni Constituency, Gogo Friday, criticised the party for failing to officially explain why he was denied clearance despite purchasing nomination forms and participating in the screening process.

Friday said he was informed that some of his nominators were not financially up-to-date members of the party, while inconsistencies in names across some of his documents also contributed to his disqualification.

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

He explained that he had already sworn an affidavit to correct the mistake, insisting that the error should not warrant his disqualification.