"Rivers ADC Guber Primary: Aspirant Claims Amaechi’s Imposition and Declares Three Winners"

An aspirant in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, gubernatorial primary election in Rivers State, Dr. Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart, has rejected the exercise.

Ezekiel-Hart described the primary election as a shambolic charade allegedly orchestrated by former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to impose a preferred candidate.

The aspirant, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Saturday, claimed the primary produced three different governorship candidates for the ADC in Rivers State, warning that the development could plunge the party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership fails to intervene.

“Right now, we have three governorship candidates in one party, all thanks to Amaechi’s high-handedness,” Ezekiel-Hart alleged.

He further alleged that contrary to the party’s official timetable fixing May 23 for the governorship primary, aspirants were suddenly informed late Friday that the exercise had been moved forward.

According to him, while he was mobilising supporters across the 23 local government areas in preparation for the scheduled poll, a fellow aspirant, Farah Dagogo, informed him that a parallel process had already been conducted earlier in the day without his knowledge.

Ezekiel-Hart alleged that the state party chairman, Chief Chukwudi Dimkpa, selectively invited only five aspirants believed to be loyal to Amaechi, excluding himself and Dagogo.

He described the process as a “kangaroo arrangement” allegedly designed to clear the path for Gabriel P. Thompson, whom he claimed had long been positioned as Amaechi’s preferred candidate.

According to him, three aspirants were allegedly persuaded to step down for Thompson in what he described as a disguised consensus arrangement despite the party’s public insistence that no consensus candidate would emerge.

He further disclosed that Dagogo later approached him with a proposal for both men to jointly resist what he described as “Amaechi’s camp”. However, according to him, Dagogo also allegedly asked him to publicly congratulate him as the winner.

“He told me to go on air and congratulate him, saying we are from Atiku Abubakar’s political family and should unite. I told him to stop rubbishing Atiku’s name. Atiku will not be part of this nonsense,” Ezekiel-Hart said.

He alleged that Dagogo even offered him political compensation, including possible appointment as Secretary to the State Government, if he endorsed his self-declared victory.

Rejecting the offer, Ezekiel-Hart said he subsequently announced himself as winner after Dagogo publicly made a similar declaration.

“As it stands, Farah declared himself winner, Thompson was declared winner by the state exco, and I also declared myself winner. Three winners in one primary that never held. This cannot stand,” he said.

Ezekiel-Hart accused the Rivers ADC leadership of systematically sidelining him despite being, according to him, the only aspirant who formally notified the party in writing of his intention to contest, with documented acknowledgment from the party secretariat.

He equally accused Amaechi of attempting to replicate what he described as a long-standing culture of political imposition.

“How can someone who is demanding transparent presidential primaries at the national level turn around and impose a governorship candidate in Rivers?” he queried.

Ezekiel-Hart went further to accuse the former minister of failing to account for his political role in the 2015 presidential transition that ousted former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“He owes the South-South an apology for what he did to Jonathan and for mortgaging the political future of this region.”

Ezekiel-Hart called on the ADC National Working Committee to immediately nullify the disputed exercise and either conduct a fresh primary or adopt a consensus arrangement in line with the electoral timetable released by Independent National Electoral Commission.

“The most pragmatic thing now is for the NWC to order a rescheduled primary or quickly adopt a lawful consensus option. Time is running against us,” hr suggested.

In the same vein, Ezekiel-Hart warned Dagogo against repeatedly invoking Atiku’s name to bolster his claim.

“He should stop tarnishing Atiku’s reputation in Rivers. Atiku is father to all of us; nobody should claim he is imposing any candidate here.”

He, however, pledged to pursue all grievances strictly within the framework of the party constitution, saying, “We will exhaust every legal channel within the party. I will not rock the boat unnecessarily, but the party must recognise that I won the primaries.”