Confusion Rocks Rivers ADC As Parallel Governorship Candidates Emerge

…Chieftain Seeks Fresh Governorship Primary

The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been thrown into confusion following the emergence of two parallel governorship candidates for the 2027 election, deepening divisions within the opposition party.

Within 24 hours, separate sides of the party announced different winners of the governorship primaries, with both camps insisting their processes were valid.

Political observers say the emergence of parallel candidates may trigger legal and leadership battles within the Rivers ADC unless the national leadership urgently intervenes.

Although the national leadership of the party had yet to clarify which faction or primary it recognises officially, political observers had warned that the party should learn from history, saying a similar scenario happened in 2019 where the opposition party, then the APC didn’t field candidates due to “one man’s selfishness.

Political observers say the Rivers political environment has long been dominated by godfatherism, factional loyalty and elite negotiations, leaving little room for independent aspirants without deep political machinery

Interestingly, former House of Representatives member Farah Dagogo emerged as the party’s candidate after a direct primary was reportedly conducted across the 319 wards in the 23 local government areas of the state.

The Chairman of the ADC Rivers Governorship Primary Electoral Committee, Dr Agu Bryan, said Dagogo polled 64,700 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Dr Sokonte Davies, who scored 9,050 votes.

Bryan noted that other aspirants including Prof Henry Ugboma polled 7,050 votes, Leloonu Nwibubasa secured 11,050 votes, Gabriel Pidomson, scored 5000 votes, Asita Asita polled, 10,100 votes and Allen Ezekiel-Hart, secured 9,050.

Declaring Farah Dagogo as the winner of the exercise, Dr Agu said: “Doctor Farah Dagogo, having secured the highest number of lawful and valid votes and having fulfilled the requirements of the party guidelines, I hereby declare Farah Dagogo as the winner and hereby return him elected as the governorship candidate of the ADC for the 2027 governorship election. By the power vested in me as the Chairman of this panel, I hereby declare Farah Dagogo as the candidate.”

Speaking after his emergence, Dagogo described the victory as a collective mandate for Rivers people and promised an issue-based campaign focused on security, education, healthcare, youth empowerment and economic development.

Dagogo also positioned himself as a unifying figure, saying there would be “no victor and no vanquished” within the party.

In what appeared to be a strategic appeal across political divides, the former federal lawmaker acknowledged past Rivers governors including Alfred Diete-Spiff, Ada George, Peter Odili, Rotimi Amaechi, Nyesom Wike and Siminalayi Fubara, promising to build on their legacies while correcting past shortcomings.

However, barely a day later, the ADC secretariat announced Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson as the authentic ADC governorship candidate.

Chairman of the ADC Primary Election Committee in Rivers State, Carol Obaro Uloho, declared that Pidomson secured 112,086 votes in the primary conducted across the 23 local government areas of the state.

According to the official figures released by the committee, Sokonte Davies scored 16,872 votes to place second, while Dagogo came third with 2,369 votes.

Other aspirants included Leloonu Nwibubasa with 1,476 votes, Henry Ugboma with 546 votes and Allen Ezekiel-Hart with 268 votes.

Obaro declared that Pidomson had satisfied the constitutional requirements of the party and was therefore returned elected as the ADC governorship candidate.

The committee also announced the emergence of senatorial candidates for the 2027 election.

For Rivers East Senatorial District, Samuel N. Agwor emerged winner with 65,890 votes, while Otto Josiah won the Rivers West ticket with 24,670 votes.

In Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Betram Tele Ikuru emerged as the candidate with 19,223 votes.

In his acceptance speech titled “The Rise of a New Rivers,” Pidomson described his victory as a mandate for transformation and pledged to pursue people-centred governance, economic growth and infrastructure development.

He also acknowledged former Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi, for providing what he described as a level playing field during the primaries.

However, some aspirants are feeling that sense of exclusion, which reflects a broader struggle for dominance within the Rivers ADC, where powerful interests allegedly moved quickly to install preferred candidates.

Some of the aspirants explained that they left the process “out of anger and frustration” after what they described as a flawed process leading to the declaration of neither of the two candidates

At the centre of the unfolding drama is governorship aspirant Allen Ezekiel-Hart, who feels like an outsider in a fierce contest shaped by competing camps within the party.

Ezekiel-Hart insists he was sidelined from the process entirely, not because he lacked political credentials, but because he lacked the backing of influential political forces.

All these have also thrown up the familiar story of a politician struggling to survive in a system dominated by entrenched political interests and powerful backers.

In a telephone interview, the aspirant described a chaotic and confusing sequence of events that, according to him, left genuine contestants stranded while rival blocs battled for control of the party structure.

According to him, the governorship primary was originally scheduled to be held on Saturday in line with the party’s timetable, but he was informed on Friday morning that a meeting involving some aspirants had already taken place without his knowledge.

Although Ezekiel-Hart made references to political camps within the party, the larger picture emerging from the crisis is one of a smaller aspirant caught between two dominant factions already locked in a supremacy battle.

“I was in Ahoada trying to put finishing touches with my people when one of the aspirants called me and asked if I had been informed about a meeting convened by the party chairman. I told him nobody contacted me,” he said.

Ezekiel-Hart claimed he was later informed that some aspirants had met and that Pidomson was subsequently declared the winner.

He also alleged that there had been attempts on social media before the exercise to project Pidomson as the preferred aspirant, a development he said some aspirants opposed.

“They said some aspirants stepped down and Pidomson was announced as the winner. But as far as I am concerned, the process did not follow the party guidelines,” he stated.

The ADC chieftain further underscored the confusion that has deepened after the declaration of Dr Farah Dagogo, who emerged as the governorship candidate of the party following a separate exercise.

According to him, “What happened afterwards was more like an attempt to validate earlier actions already taken. That is why I did not participate.”

Ezekiel-Hart confirmed that he has submitted an appeal to the party’s Appeal Committee and urged the National Working Committee (NWC) to conduct a fresh primary in a neutral venue.

He warned that unresolved disputes within the party could weaken the ADC’s chances in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 election.

He also referenced past political disputes in the state, noting that internal disagreements had previously affected party participation in elections.

He said: “Yes, we are going to appeal. We are going to appeal to the Appeal Committee of the party. Because we will know our stand after the appeal. We are going further to explore every legal means of dispute resolution. In my appeal, that’s what I have written that the National Working Committee should reschedule or redo that primary in a neutral ground, not in a particular place where the Dimpka and Amaechi will influence things. .

“They should bring the primary to Abuja. Well, it depends on how the National Working Committee values River state politically, and how important River state is to them.

“If they feel that Rivers state is not important to them, then they should treat the petition with levity and watch us lose Rivers state.

“Remember that the same Rotimi Amaechi did this thing in 2019 when he was in APC, and APC didn’t have a candidate in Rivers state.

“The same thing he did imposition of candidate brought several court processes between Tonye Cole and other factions.

“Factions, Tony Okocha Faction and Emeka Beke faction started under Rotimi Amaechi. That made them not to present a candidate in 2019. The same thing is repeating. I don’t know why people don’t learn from history. Allow the process to run. Let the best man win.”

On the declaration made by Dagogo’s camp, he questioned the process and said there was no visible presence of the party’s national electoral officials at the event.

“There was no member of the National Working Committee or the electoral committee appointed by the party leadership present at that declaration,” he claimed.

Despite the disagreements, Ezekiel-Hart insisted that due process must prevail within the party.

“We must allow the process to run and let the best candidate emerge through a transparent exercise,” he said.