- Safiu Kehinde
Several loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, have failed to make the final list of qualified aspirants cleared by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Panel for the Rivers House of Assembly primaries.
This has further dealt a huge a blow on the re-election bid of Fubara and raised doubts on the chances of him being cleared to contest for the 2027 Governorship election considering the drama that ensued during his screening on Sunday.
NPO Reported that the Rivers’ governor had stormed out of the APC’s Screening Panel yesterday barely 20 minutes after his arrival.
Fubara’s rejection of newsmen’s interview request after the brief appearance before the panel had further hinted uncertainties over his re-election bid.
Compounding the woes of the embattled governor was the non-clearance of his political allies by the APC Screening Panel.
Notable among those not cleared by the panel were former Obio/Akpor council chairman, Chijioke Ihunwo, and serving lawmakers, Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo.
The politicians, all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara, were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
According to reports, the failure of the politicians to scale through the screening has been considered by some political experts as more than just a routine internal party exercise.
They attributed the development to the prolonged political feud and struggle for supremacy between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike.
Meanwhile, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, who are allies to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.
Among those cleared are Maol Dumle, Major Jack, Enemi Alabo George, Tonye Smart Adoki, and Tekenari Granville.
See full list below
