A number of allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have emerged as chairmanship and councillorship candidates ahead of the August 30, 2025, local government elections in Rivers State.
The parties held their primaries across various centres in the state on Saturday after the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission released guidelines for the election.
Candidates emerged for both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress through a mix of indirect, direct, and consensus primaries.
Among Wike’s loyalists who clinched chairmanship tickets are Dr Chidi Lloyd (Emuoha LG), Dr Thomas Bariere (Khana LG), and Confidence Dekor (Gokana LG). Others include Mbakpone Okpe (Tai LG), Akuro Tobins (Okrika LG), Allwell Ihunda (Port Harcourt City LG), and Onengiyeofori George (Asari-Toru LG).
Most of these individuals previously served as elected chairmen during Wike’s tenure as Rivers State governor.
Other candidates from Wike’s camp include Shedrack Chukwu (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni), Uchechukwu Obasi (Omuma LG), Michael Williams (Degema LG), Okechukwu Akara (Oyigbo LG), Abinye Pepple (Bonny LG), Vincent Nemioboka (Ogu/Bolo), and Chima Njoku (Etche LG).
While candidates for about eight local governments are still being awaited, in Ikwerre LGA, Charles Wobodo emerged as the APC chairmanship candidate with 64 out of 65 votes cast in the primary. He expressed gratitude to party members and pledged inclusive leadership if elected.
Meanwhile, crisis looms within the Rivers APC, as the faction led by Emeka Beke disowned several candidates, describing them as “entirely unknown to the party.”
APC spokesperson Darrington Nwauju stated, “The party has a constitution and procedures for conducting primaries, which do not include gifting out flags or recognising individuals not listed in our membership register.”
The ongoing primaries highlight deepening internal divisions in the APC while reinforcing Wike’s strong grip on the political structure in Rivers State.
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