Fubara battles Wike’s men for APC governorship ticket

The primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC)to determine who will fly the governorship ticket appears to have narrowed down to a three-horse race as Governor Siminalayi Fubara, would be confronting two strong supporters of the FCT minister Nyesom Wike.

The two men are Kingsley Chinda and Alabo George Kelly. Chinda is the current member representing Obio/Akpor federal constituency while George Kelly served as former Commissioner for Works under the Wike administration.

Our correspondent reports that the three have all been screened for the governorship primaries while the report is yet to be released.

Ahead tomorrow’s governorship primary in the state, the atmosphere has become tense as it is not certain if the Governor would be participating in the primary due to conflicting reports on whether he has been cleared by the screening committee of the party.

Publicity Secretary of the APC in Rivers State, Chibike Ikenga, told Daily Trust that the report for the governorship screening of the party is yet to be out, in order to ascertain who is cleared or not.

The uncertainty is against the backdrop of the fact that Governor Fubara’s loyalists who obtained nomination forms for the APC House of Assembly, Representatives and Senate primaries were disqualified.

A political analyst, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene observed that with what is happening in the politics of the state and the APC, the odds are against Gov Fubara.

He lamented that the political crisis has brought governance to a standstill in the state for the pass three years, while ordinary Rivers person is suffering, adding whatever agreement the governor had before coming to office wouldn’t have override his fundamental rights as Nigerian.

He said: “The situation in Rivers State is not anything to write home about, as far as the governor being able to secure the APC ticket is concerned, because already candidates are being sponsored against him, and the reason why candidates are being sponsored by the FCT minister against him is because we learned from the grapevine that in one of the agreements he signed with the FCT minister is that he wasn’t going to contest for a second term.

“If that actually happened, and now he is coming to seek second term in office, to FCT Minister and his camp, that is the violation of agreement he had already signed and the governor sees it as his right to contest second term in office, same as the FCT Minister served and left.”

He said if the governor goes to the poll with Kingsley Chinda and Alabo George Kelly, there is a tendency that one of the Wike backed aspirants will emerge against the governor.

Another political chieftain in the state and a member of APC who prefers not be named told Daily Trust that what is happening in APC, if not addressed immediately, may give undue advantage to other opposition parties in the state during the general election.

He said, while many Rivers persons are of the opinion that APC led federal government is victimizing Governor Fubara, to favour Wike, ordinary Rivers people may revolve against the party during the general election.

He said every aspirants in the party should be given a level playing ground to test their popularity during the primaries, not unnecessary disqualification.
All eyes are however on Rivers State as the process to the governorship primaries starts tomorrow.(Daily trust)