The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has released the list of aspirants cleared and disqualified for its State House of Assembly primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Out of the 98 aspirants screened, 33 were cleared to participate in the exercise, while 65 were disqualified for various infractions.
A major talking point from the list is the exclusion of all 32 aspirants believed to be aligned with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who were reportedly not cleared for the primaries.
In contrast, sitting members of the State House of Assembly believed to be loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were among those cleared to contest.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Chibike Ikenga, the party urged all aspirants who purchased nomination forms to check the official notice board at its state secretariat in Port Harcourt for their screening status.
Ikenga also disclosed that an appeal session for aggrieved aspirants has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, at 10 a.m. at the party secretariat.
He advised affected aspirants to formally channel their complaints through the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism.
Meanwhile, the screening committee cited several reasons for disqualification, ranging from constitutional breaches to documentation irregularities.
According to the report, some aspirants were disqualified for not being financially up-to-date members of the party, in violation of Article 9.3 of the APC constitution, while others were flagged for alleged inducement and attempted bribery of committee members.
Other reasons included submission of unsworn affidavits, failure to present valid voter cards, absence of party membership slips, conflicting dates of birth, and discrepancies in personal details.
The committee also cited insufficient nominations from ward levels, failure of nominators to confirm payment of dues, irregular membership numbers, and invalid affidavits that failed to disclose required certificate details, including NECO results.
The development is expected to heighten political tensions within the Rivers APC ahead of its forthcoming primaries.
