Three current members of the House of Representatives loyal to Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, failed to clear the screening hurdles for the APC primary elections.
This is just as the party announced the composition of its National Assembly Primary Election and Appeal Committees.
The disqualified lawmakers are Hons. Anderson Alisson (representing Okrika/Ogu-Bolo federal constituency), Awaji-Inombek Abiante (Andoni/Opobo–Nkoro federal constituency), and Boma Goodhead (Asari-Toru federal constituency).
The lawmakers were among those who supported Fubara during the political crisis in the state and later defected to the APC with the governor.
However, allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, were cleared to participate in the primary elections.
Those cleared to contest the primary for the House of Representatives included the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule. Others are serving members of the House of Representatives, Hons. Hart Cyril (Degema/Bonny federal constituency), Blessing Amadi (Port-Harcourt II federal constituency), Dumnamene Dekor (Khana/Gokana federal constituency), Solomon Bob (Abua/Odual and Ahoada East federal constituency), Uche Felix Nwaeke (Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo federal constituency), and Victor Obuzor (Ahoada-West/Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni federal constituency).
Amaewhule is expected to replace a current member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who purchased the APC governorship nomination form.
On Tuesday, Wike, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, visited the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at his residence in Abuja.
The visit came days after 65 pro-Fubara aspirants seeking to contest the Rivers State House of Assembly election on the APC platform were disqualified.
On the primary election and appeal committees, Morka said that they would oversee the conduct of the primary elections across the states.
He urged party members and stakeholders to uphold transparency, fairness, and peaceful conduct during the exercise.
For Rivers State, a former Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Council in Lagos State, Hon. Wahab Owokoniran, was named Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, while Musa Diko will head the appeal committee.
Other members of the Rivers State primary election committee are Abdullahi Candido, Tony Onu, Sulaiman Sadik, Moses Alokpa, and Samuel Danjuma, with Sunny Omotola serving as secretary.
Members of the state’s appeal committee are Baushe Isah, Audu Elias, Abgoola Dabiri, and Oyinade Nathan-March.
