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The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has cleared 33 aspirants to participate in the party’s primaries for the 2027 State House of Assembly elections, while 65 others were disqualified after a screening exercise conducted in Port Harcourt. The report, released on Monday by the party’s screening committee, showed that all 29 serving lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were successfully cleared. 
According to the committee, a total of 98 aspirants were screened during the two-day exercise. Among those cleared were Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol, House Leader Major Jack, and House spokesman Enemi Alabo George. However, aspirants reportedly aligned with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, including former factional speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo and other lawmakers loyal to the governor, were not cleared by the committee. 
The committee explained that several aspirants were disqualified over issues such as incomplete documentation, conflicting personal records, failure to provide valid voter cards or party membership slips, and nomination irregularities. It also disclosed that one aspirant, identified as Tonye Garrick Tom-George, allegedly attempted to bribe committee members during the exercise and was subsequently reported to the police. 
The development further reflects the deepening political divide within the Rivers APC amid the ongoing power struggle between camps loyal to Wike and Governor Fubara ahead of the 2027 elections. Meanwhile, Speaker Martin Amaewhule was reportedly absent from the list because he opted to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives instead of seeking re-election into the state assembly. 
