Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly dismissed allegations that its governorship primary election held on May 24, 2026, was manipulated to favour a preferred aspirant, insisting that the exercise was conducted transparently and in strict adherence to the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines. The party’s state chairman, Dr. Chukwudi Dimkpa, dismissed as “false and misleading” the claims made by one of the aspirants, Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart, who had alleged widespread irregularities and the imposition of a candidate by former Rivers State Governor and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
According to Dimkpa, all aspirants were adequately informed about the procedures leading to the primary and were given equal opportunity to participate. He stated that the emergence of Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, as the party’s governorship candidate reflected the collective decision and overwhelming support of delegates and stakeholders across the 23 local government areas of the state. The official result declared by the party’s Primary Election Committee showed Pidomson polled 112,086 votes, defeating Dr. Sokonte Davies who scored 16,872 votes, former House of Representatives member Dr. Farah Dagogo who got 2,369 votes, Leloonu Nwibubasa with 1,476 votes, Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart with 268 votes, and Henry Ogbonna with 546 votes.
Dimkpa also dismissed insinuations that former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, influenced or imposed any aspirant on the party. He maintained that the ADC leadership sustained open communication with all aspirants and their representatives throughout the process, urging members of the public to disregard comments capable of causing division within the party. “The ADC remains united and focused. Our priority now is to consolidate on the success of the primary process and continue working towards providing credible leadership and a better future for the people of Rivers State,” he stated.
However, the primary has been thrown into turmoil following the rejection of the outcome by Ezekiel-Hart, who described the exercise as a “shambolic charade.” Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Ezekiel-Hart alleged that the process had produced three separate governorship winners within the same party, accusing Amaechi of high-handedness and imposition. “Right now, we have three governorship candidates in one party, all thanks to Amaechi’s high-handedness. This cannot stand,” he said. He claimed that while the party’s timetable fixed May 23 for the primary, aspirants were informed late on Friday that the exercise had been moved forward. He further accused the Rivers ADC leadership of inviting only five aspirants loyal to Amaechi while excluding himself and Dagogo, an arrangement he alleged was designed to clear the path for Amaechi’s preferred candidate, Gabriel P. Thompson. Ezekiel-Hart also claimed that three aspirants were persuaded to step down for Thompson in what he described as a disguised consensus arrangement.
Ezekiel-Hart warned that the situation could plunge the opposition party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership fails to intervene. He urged the ADC National Working Committee to nullify the exercise and either conduct a fresh primary or adopt a lawful consensus arrangement in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “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,” he said. Meanwhile, the confusion was further deepened as both Farah Dagogo and Gabriel Pidomson laid claim to the party’s ticket. While Dagogo announced shortly after the primary that he had emerged as the candidate, the party’s state leadership insisted that collation of results had yet to be concluded before eventually declaring Pidomson the winner.
In contrast to the internal dispute, the Sokonte Davies Campaign Team and supporters of Farah Dagogo have described his emergence as a testament to the trust and confidence reposed in him by the party. Davies, in a statement, congratulated Dagogo and declared his support for the presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. On his part, Pidomson, in his acceptance speech, described his emergence as “a sacred trust handed to us by the people of Rivers State,” and called for unity among party members ahead of the 2027 elections, assuring aspirants who stepped down for him that the primary contest was over and that the party must now march together for the liberation and transformation of the state.
As the ADC prepares for the 2027 general elections, the lingering crisis over the legitimacy of its governorship candidate in Rivers State poses a significant challenge to the party’s ambition of capturing key leadership positions in the state. While the party’s leadership insists on the credibility of Pidomson’s victory, the aggrieved aspirant, Ezekiel-Hart, has vowed to exhaust all legal channels within the party to press his claim. The resolution of this internal dispute will be critical to the ADC’s ability to present a united front in the competitive Rivers State political landscape.
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