Lawmaker’s widow, one different clinch Rivers APC Meeting tickets

The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State on Monday elected candidates for the forthcoming Home of Meeting bye-elections for Ahoada East Constituency II and Khana Constituency II.

Napoleon Ukalikpe emerged because the occasion’s candidate for Ahoada East Constituency II, whereas Mrs Bulabari Loolo clinched the ticket for Khana Constituency II.

Loolo is the spouse of the quick previous occupant of the seat, who handed away in September 2023.

The candidates have been elected by way of what occasion sources described as a rainbow coalition championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

They emerged from major elections organised by the occasion within the two constituencies on Monday.

Talking after the train, a former lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, stated Wike “is the chief of the Renewed Hope Household within the state. So far as the politics of Rivers State is anxious, the Minister of the FCT is the chief of the Renewed Hope Household. There is no such thing as a confusion, and there’s no dispute in regards to the totally different roles persons are taking part in.

“Everyone, go and revalidate your membership. We’re all working collectively. We’re all supporting President Tinubu. Rivers State will ship the very best share of votes for the Renewed Hope Household on this nation.”

Additionally talking, the Chairman of Khana Native Authorities Space, Dr Thomas Bariere, described the first election as peaceable and nicely carried out.

Bariere stated, “Within the historical past of occasion primaries, we have now skilled one of the crucial peaceable and well-conducted major elections in Khana, and this exhibits that actually, occasion politics is rising.”

PidomNigeria On-line studies that the Home of Meeting bye-elections in Ahoada East Constituency II and Khana Constituency II have been necessitated by vacancies arising from the loss of life of sitting lawmakers, together with the late member representing Khana Constituency II, who handed away in September 2023.

Below Nigeria’s electoral framework, such vacancies require the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee to conduct bye-elections to fill the seats.

The Rivers APC primaries come in opposition to the backdrop of deep intra-party and inter-party realignments within the state following the extended political rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Wike.

Since Wike’s defection-aligned bloc publicly declared assist for President Bola Tinubu’s administration underneath the banner of the “Renewed Hope Household,” the APC in Rivers has more and more coalesced round figures loyal to the previous governor.

This realignment has seen a number of defections from opposition events and a consolidation of APC buildings in components of the state, significantly in Rivers South-East and Rivers East.