Dr. Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart, an aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the Rivers State governorship primary election, has rejected the exercise.
The primary election was a shambolic charade, orchestrated by former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, to impose a preferred candidate, Ezekiel-Hart said.
The aspirant, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, alleged that the primary produced three different governorship candidates for the ADC in Rivers State, warning that the development could throw the party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership does not intervene.
“We presently have three governorship candidates in one party, all owing to Amaechi’s high-handedness,” Ezekiel-Hart alleged.
He also alleged that while the party’s official timetable had fixed the governorship primary for May 23, aspirants were suddenly told Friday night that the exercise had been brought forward.
He said, “As I was mobilising supporters in the 23 local government areas ahead of the scheduled poll, a fellow aspirant, Farah Dagogo, told me that a parallel exercise had earlier been conducted without my knowledge today (Thursday).
Ezekiel-Hart alleged that the state party chairman, Chief Chukwudi Dimkpa, invited only five aspirants believed to be loyal to Amaechi, excluding himself and Dagogo.
He called the process a “kangaroo arrangement” allegedly designed to pave way for Gabriel P. Thompson who he said has been long installed as Amaechi’s preferred candidate.
He said three aspirants were allegedly convinced to step down for Thompson in what he described as a disguised consensus arrangement despite the party’s public insistence that no consensus candidate would emerge.
He also revealed that Dagogo later came to him with a suggestion that both men should join forces to fight what he called “Amaechi’s camp”. But he said Dagogo allegedly asked him to publicly congratulate him as the winner.
He told me to go on air and congratulate him that we are from Atiku Abubakar’s political family and should unite. I told him to stop rubbishing Atiku’s name. Atiku will not be in this nonsense,” said Ezekiel-Hart.
He alleged that Dagogo had even offered him political bribe, including possible appointment as Secretary to the State Government, if he endorsed his self-declared victory.
Ezekiel-Hart said he rejected the offer and later declared himself winner after Dagogo had earlier publicly made a similar declaration.
‘As it is, Farah declared himself winner, Thompson was declared winner by the state exco, I also declared myself winner. Three winners in a primary that never happened. “This cannot be,” he said.
Ezekiel-Hart accused the Rivers ADC leadership of systematically sidelining him, claiming he was the only aspirant who formally notified the party in writing of his intention to contest, with documented acknowledgment from the party secretariat.
He equally accused Amaechi of trying to copy what he called a long-standing culture of political imposition.
“How can someone who is demanding transparent presidential primaries at the national level turn around and impose a governorship candidate in Rivers?” he asked.
Ezekiel-Hart went further to allege that the ex-minister had failed to account for his political role in the 2015 presidential transition that ousted former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“He owes the South-South apology for what he did to Jonathan and mortgaging the political future of this region.”
Ezekiel-Hart urged the ADC National Working Committee to immediately nullify the disputed exercise and conduct a fresh primary or adopt a consensus arrangement in line with the electoral timetable released by Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The most pragmatic thing to do now is for the NWC to order a rescheduled primary or hastily adopt a lawful consensus option. Time is against us,” he suggested.
In the same vein, Ezekiel-Hart cautioned Dagogo against the repeated use of Atiku’s name to strengthen his case.
He should stop dragging Atiku’s name in the mud in Rivers. “Atiku is father to all of us; nobody should claim he is imposing any candidate here.”
“We will exhaust every legal channel within the party,” he said. “We will pursue all grievances strictly within the framework of the party constitution. “I’m not going to rock the boat unnecessarily, but the party has to recognise that I won the primaries.”
