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The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been thrown into renewed controversy following the disputed governorship primary election, as one of the aspirants, Dr. Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart, rejected the outcome and accused former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, of engineering efforts to impose a preferred candidate on the party.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Saturday evening, Ezekiel-Hart condemned the exercise as a “shambolic charade,” insisting that the process was deliberately manipulated to favour a predetermined aspirant.
He further alleged that the disputed primary had produced three separate governorship candidates within the same political platform, warning that the development could plunge the party into a deeper crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections if the national leadership fails to intervene without delay.
“Right now, we have three governorship candidates in one party, all thanks to Amaechi’s high-handedness,” he declared.
According to him, although the party’s official timetable had fixed the governorship primary for May 23, aspirants were abruptly notified late Friday that the exercise had been brought forward without proper notice or consultation.
Ezekiel-Hart said he was still mobilising supporters across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State for the exercise when fellow aspirant, Farah Dagogo, allegedly informed him that a parallel process had already been conducted earlier that same day without his awareness.
He also alleged that the Rivers State chairman of the ADC, Chief Chukwudi Dimkpa, selectively invited only five aspirants believed to be aligned with Amaechi, while excluding him and Dagogo from participation.
Describing the arrangement as a “kangaroo arrangement,” Ezekiel-Hart claimed the process was deliberately structured to favour Gabriel P. Thompson, whom he accused of being the former governor’s preferred candidate.
He further alleged that three aspirants were persuaded to withdraw in favour of Thompson under what he described as a disguised consensus arrangement, despite assurances from the party leadership that no consensus candidate would be imposed.
The embattled aspirant also disclosed that Dagogo later approached him with a proposal for both of them to jointly resist what he termed “Amaechi’s camp,” while simultaneously urging him to publicly endorse Dagogo as the winner of the disputed exercise.
“He told me to go on air and congratulate him, saying we are from Atiku Abubakar’s political family and should unite. I told him to stop rubbishing Atiku’s name. Atiku will not be part of this nonsense,” Ezekiel-Hart said.
He further alleged that Dagogo offered him political inducement, including a possible appointment as Secretary to the State Government, if he agreed to support his self-declared victory.
Ezekiel-Hart said he rejected the offer and subsequently declared himself winner after Dagogo also announced himself as the successful candidate.
“As it stands, Farah declared himself winner, Thompson was declared winner by the state exco, and I also declared myself winner. Three winners in one primary that never held. This cannot stand.”
The aggrieved aspirant accused the Rivers ADC leadership of deliberately sidelining him despite, according to him, being the only aspirant who formally submitted written notification of his intention to contest the governorship ticket, duly acknowledged by the party secretariat.
He further alleged that Amaechi was attempting to entrench what he described as a pattern of political imposition in Rivers State politics.
“How can someone who is demanding transparent presidential primaries at the national level turn around and impose a governorship candidate in Rivers?” he queried.
Ezekiel-Hart also criticised the former Minister of Transportation over his alleged role in the political developments that culminated in the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.
“He owes the South-South an apology for what he did to Jonathan and for mortgaging the political future of this region,” he said.
The governorship hopeful called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ADC to immediately cancel the disputed primary and either order a fresh governorship election or adopt a lawful consensus arrangement in line with the timetable issued by 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 stated.
He also cautioned Dagogo against repeatedly invoking the name of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in support of his claim to the governorship ticket.
“He should stop tarnishing Atiku’s reputation in Rivers. Atiku is father to all of us; nobody should claim he is imposing any candidate here.”
Despite the controversy surrounding the exercise, Ezekiel-Hart maintained that he would pursue redress strictly through the party’s constitutional and internal dispute resolution mechanisms.
“We will exhaust every legal channel within the party. I will not rock the boat unnecessarily, but the party must recognise that I won the primaries,” he stressed.
