“Everything Was Already Rigged” – Fubara Loyalists Reject Rivers APC Screening Results

Supporters of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara vehemently dismiss the recently released All Progressives Congress (APC) screening report for the 2027 House of Assembly primary elections.

The loyalists are crying foul over the results of the exercise, which saw a massive chunk of aspirants disqualified while those aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, received a clean bill of health.

This development has sparked allegations of a pre-planned script designed to push Governor Fubara’s allies out of the legislative race before the first ballot is even cast.

The controversy stems from a report issued by the Ajibola Muraina-led screening committee following a weekend of evaluations in Port Harcourt.

Out of 98 hopefuls who presented themselves for vetting, the committee cleared only 33 individuals, leaving 65 others in the cold. Interestingly, the list of successful candidates includes 28 sitting lawmakers who have remained steadfast in their loyalty to Nyesom Wike, including Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol.

Meanwhile, high-profile figures within the Fubara camp, such as Victor Oko-Jumbo, Sokari Goodboy, Timothy Orubibanugha, and Chijioke Ihunwo, were all listed as disqualified, leading to the outcry that “Everything Was Already Rigged.”

In its defense, the committee maintained that the process was transparent and governed strictly by the party’s constitution. The report cited various technicalities for the disqualifications, ranging from missing voter cards and inconsistent affidavits to issues with party membership records and unpaid dues by nominators.

The committee even detailed specific incidents of unrest, alleging that Victor Oko-Jumbo attempted to force his way into the venue with security aides. Furthermore, a serious allegation was leveled against Tonye Garrick Tom-George, who was accused of attempting to bribe committee members with an envelope containing cash—a claim he has since denied while threatening legal action for defamation.

Despite the committee’s assertions of order, the credibility of the report suffered a major blow when its own secretary, Tanko Yamowa, issued a stinging disclaimer. Yamowa distanced himself from the document, labeling the circulated list as unauthorized and false.

He insisted that the committee had only just concluded its work and that no official results had been sanctioned for public release. This internal contradiction has only fueled the narrative from Fubara’s supporters that the screening was a hatchet job intended to favor the Wike faction.

Disqualified aspirants have expressed their frustration, pointing out the suspicious pattern where every pro-Wike candidate scaled through while nearly everyone else failed.

Gogo-Ogute Isaiah, an aspirant for the Andoni constituency, noted that he met every requirement and paid all necessary fees, only to find himself disqualified via social media without formal notification.

Others argued that minor typographical errors, which the committee used as grounds for disqualification, should have been treated as rectifiable mistakes rather than career-ending flaws. As Solomon Lenu and other affected candidates warn of a deepening divide, the APC in Rivers State faces a looming crisis of confidence ahead of the 2027 polls.