A number of allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have emerged as chairmanship and councillorship candidates ahead of the August 30, 2025, local government elections in Rivers State.
The parties held their primaries across various centres in the State on Saturday after the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission released guidelines for the election.
Candidates emerged for the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress via varied means of indirect and direct primaries or consensus.
Some allies of the minister who emerged as chairmanship candidates include Dr Chidi Liyod for Emuoha LG, Dr Thomas Bariere for Khana LG, and Confidence Dekor for Gokana LG.
Others are Mbakpone Okpe, Tai LG; Akuro Tobins, Okrika LG; Allwell Ihunda, Port Harcourt City LG; Onengiyeofori George, Asari Toru LG, among others.
Our correspondent reports that the above names who emerged as candidates all served as elected local government chairmen when Wike held office as Rivers State Governor.
The other candidates and LGs include: Akuro Tobin, Okrika; Shedrack Chukwu, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni; Uchechukwu Obasi, Omuma LG; Michael Williams, Degema LG; Okechukwu Akara, Oyigbo LG; Abinye Pepple, Bonny LG.
Also, Vincent Nemioboka emerged as a candidate for Ogu/Bolo; Chima Njoku for Etche LG all belonging to the camp of Wike.
The candidates for about eight LGA are still awaited.
In Ikwerre local government area, Charles Wobodo emerged as the APC chairman candidate for the LG poll.
Wobodo clinched the party’s ticket with 64 votes of the 65 votes cast during the primary election.
The Returning Officer, Daniel Michael, who announced the result, said, “By this we declare that Charles Wobodo is the chairmanship candidate-elect for Ikwerre Local Government Area.”
In his acceptance speech, Wobodo thanked the APC members in Ikwerre LGA for their overwhelming support and pledged to provide purposeful leadership if elected.
The candidate, Wobodo said, “My leaders in APC, the stakeholders of the APC, are here present. You have shown that you love me, and I thank you very much.
“You have shown that hard work pays. I want to thank you for giving me the mandate of this party to carry the flag of the APC in the coming local government elections. I assure you my win is for the Ikwerre local government.”
He promised to promote unity and work for the progress of the Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, the Emeke Beke-led APC in Rivers State has distanced itself from what it called “unauthorised endorsement of persons entirely unknown to the party as candidates.
The spokesperson of the Emeka Beke-led APC, Darrington Nwauju, said that the party has a Constitution and procedures for conducting primaries, which he said do not include gifting out party flags, endorsement or recognition to persons whose identities are entirely strange or whose names are not reflected as members in the party register.
