The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Rivers State, Dr Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson, has declared that no individual or political group will be allowed to manipulate the 2027 election in the state, insisting that his party is putting structures in place to protect votes cast by Rivers people.
Pidomson, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, made the declaration amid intensifying political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections and continuing arguments among political groups over control of Rivers State.
The ADC candidate said his party was preparing for the election with particular attention to voter mobilisation and protection of votes at polling units.
Pidomson maintained that the party would not allow anyone to hijack the electoral process or substitute results genuinely produced by voters.
His comments follow earlier statements in which he accused political opponents of preparing to manipulate the 2027 election.
Those allegations have not been independently established.
Pidomson had previously said the ADC was preparing its own structures and systems to prevent electoral manipulation.
“In terms of rigging, we too are also making our own calculations and putting in place our structures and systems to ensure that they do not rig the election,” he said during an interview with ARISE News in September.
He identified three major areas around which the party was organising ahead of the election — mobilisation, protection of votes and addressing what he described as attempts to create fear among voters.
According to him, ensuring that votes are counted and properly transmitted from polling units will be central to the ADC's strategy.
Pidomson also said Rivers residents must turn out in large numbers to vote, arguing that widespread participation would make manipulation of the electoral process more difficult.
His latest declaration comes against the background of increasingly strong statements he has made about the conduct of the forthcoming election.
In September, Pidomson warned individuals he believed might attempt to manipulate election results that his party would resist such actions.
“We are going to stop them from rigging,” he said.
“For me, I don’t believe that somebody will just go and write and announce results, then think it will end in court.”
Pidomson went further to say: “If you rig my results and I know you, I will follow you after the election. It will not just end there.”
The ADC candidate's comments attracted attention because of his declaration that he would not rely on post-election litigation if he believed the result had been manipulated.
He has subsequently continued to emphasise vote protection while maintaining that the election should be decided by ballots rather than violence.
During his September interview, Pidomson used the word “war” while discussing the election but immediately clarified that he was referring to an electoral contest fought with votes.
“When I say that this election is not just election, it’s war. That war, the bullets of that war is our ballots,” he said.
When questioned about the language, Pidomson stressed that he was not calling for the use of guns or physical violence.
“I made it very clear. I said this election is war and that the bullet in this election is our ballots. I did not say it’s a gun,” he said.
Pidomson has also accused a political alliance in Rivers State, which he repeatedly refers to as the “Rainbow Confusion,” of preparing to interfere with the election.
The description is his political characterisation of the Rainbow Coalition, a political grouping associated with Federal Capital Territory Minister and former Rivers governor Nyesom Wike.
“The Rainbow Confusion and their allies are not planning a free and fair election in 2027,” Pidomson alleged in an earlier statement.
“Their only plan is to hijack election materials, write fake results, and enslave you and your children,” he added.
Pidomson did not provide publicly verified evidence establishing that such a plan exists, and his allegations remain claims made by a candidate against political opponents ahead of the election.
He has nevertheless maintained that knowing what he believes his opponents intend to do gives the ADC an opportunity to prepare against possible electoral malpractice.
The candidate has also accused political opponents of using money and food to influence voters, another allegation that has not been independently established.
The political battle in Rivers has become increasingly connected with the 2027 presidential contest.
Pidomson has declared that the ADC intends not only to win the Rivers governorship election but also to deliver the state for its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“We are going to deliver Atiku Abubakar in Rivers State,” he said during his September interview.
The declaration puts Pidomson and the Rivers ADC directly against political forces supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's re-election.
Wike has remained one of Tinubu's prominent political supporters in Rivers State despite retaining his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The FCT Minister has also rejected previous allegations that he rigged the 2023 presidential election in Rivers.
Speaking in September 2026, Wike questioned how one individual could manipulate results across thousands of polling units and maintained that political strategy should not be confused with election rigging.
“When you talk about rigging, you cannot rig an election where you are not popular. You cannot,” Wike said.
Pidomson, however, has repeatedly challenged Wike's political influence in Rivers and said the ADC is rebuilding grassroots structures capable of competing with groups aligned with the former governor.
Pidomson said some of those structures originated from the Wike Solidarity Movement, which he said he previously established while working politically with Wike.
“And those things I used to do for him when I set up the Wike Solidarity Movement, I have started it,” Pidomson said.
He maintained that those structures would now be deployed to strengthen the ADC ahead of the election.
Pidomson emerged as the ADC governorship candidate following the party's primary election conducted in May 2026.
The Rivers ADC said his emergence reflected the decision of party delegates and stakeholders from the state's 23 local government areas.
The party subsequently confirmed David Amapakaye Okumgba as his deputy governorship candidate.
The ADC's preparations come amid a wider political struggle over Rivers State ahead of 2027.
Rivers has experienced major political realignments involving supporters of Wike, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the APC, ADC and other political interests.
Pidomson's repeated emphasis has been that the outcome of the forthcoming election should be determined at polling units and that his party will organise supporters to protect their votes.
He has urged voters to remain at polling units within the limits permitted by electoral law to ensure that votes are counted and results transmitted.
His declaration that “no one can rig” the Rivers election therefore represents the ADC candidate's confidence in his party's preparations rather than a guarantee about the eventual conduct or outcome of the 2027 poll.
The responsibility for conducting Nigeria's elections rests with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, while security agencies are responsible for maintaining security around the electoral process.
No votes have yet been cast in the Rivers 2027 governorship election, and allegations about planned manipulation remain unproven unless supported by evidence and established through the appropriate processes.
Pidomson's position is that the ADC intends to concentrate on mobilisation, voter participation and protecting results from polling units.
As Rivers State moves closer to the 2027 election, the ADC candidate has maintained that political actors should prepare to seek the mandate of voters rather than rely on manipulation of the electoral process.
For Pidomson, the message to his supporters remains that the political contest should be fought with ballots.
“The bullet in this election is our ballots,” he said.
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