The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has denied allegations that aspirants loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were favoured during the screening of House of Assembly aspirants.
The party also dismissed claims that aspirants believed to be loyal to Siminalayi Fubara were denied clearance.
Speaking with journalists at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the state Publicity Secretary, Chibuike Ikenga, described the allegations as misleading and unfair.
According to Ikenga, Wike is not a member of the APC and had no role in the screening exercise.
“The FCT minister is not a member of our party, and bringing him into what we are doing in our party is not fair,” he said.
“So bringing in to say whether people who were cleared or uncleared belong to his own group or team, it does not fall in here properly.”
Ikenga explained that although Wike had openly declared support for President Bola Tinubu, such support should not be linked to the outcome of the party’s internal process.
He stated that the screening exercise was conducted peacefully and transparently, adding that 33 aspirants were cleared while 65 were not cleared.
Ikenga also disclosed that the party constituted an appeal committee to review complaints from aggrieved aspirants, noting that the process had continued without disruption.
The Chairman of the Appeal Committee, Abdul Mahmud, said the panel received a comprehensive report showing that 98 aspirants participated in the screening exercise.
Mahmud said the committee had been reviewing petitions submitted by affected aspirants and would conclude its sitting on May 13, 2026.
He added that some aspirants who failed to provide required documents during the screening were given an opportunity to submit them before the end of the appeal process.
According to him, the committee placed greater emphasis on documentary evidence rather than oral claims while considering petitions.
One of the aspirants for Andoni Constituency, Gogo Friday, criticised the party for failing to officially communicate reasons for his non-clearance despite purchasing nomination forms and participating in the screening.
Friday said he was informed that some of his nominators were not financial members of the party, while discrepancies in names on some of his documents also affected his clearance.
Another aspirant, Atuzie Collins, contesting for Obio/Akpor Constituency II, said he was initially disqualified over a spelling error on his voter’s card.
He said he had sworn an affidavit to correct the error, insisting that the mistake should not lead to disqualification.
