Tensions escalate in Rivers ADC as Ezekiel-Hart disputes election result, claims Amaechi manipulated the process

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship primary in Rivers State has descended into chaos, with aspirant Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart rejecting the outcome and pointing fingers at former governor Rotimi Amaechi for allegedly imposing a candidate, sparking a crisis that could have far-reaching implications.

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Ezekiel-Hart has described the primary exercise as a "shambolic charade" that has yielded three separate governorship "winners" within the same party, a situation he attributes to Amaechi's purported high-handedness, which he claims has created an unprecedented level of confusion.

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Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Ezekiel-Hart warned that the situation could plunge the opposition party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership fails to intervene and address the grievances of all parties involved.

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According to Ezekiel-Hart, the party's timetable had initially fixed May 23 for the primary, but aspirants were informed at the last minute that the exercise had been moved forward, catching many off guard and creating an air of uncertainty.

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Ezekiel-Hart claimed that he was in the process of mobilising supporters across the 23 local government areas when fellow aspirant Farah Dagogo informed him that a parallel process had already been conducted, prompting him to cry foul and accuse the party's leadership of foul play.

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He accused the state party chairman, Chukwudi Dimkpa, of inviting only five aspirants loyal to Amaechi while excluding himself and Dagogo, alleging that the arrangement was designed to clear the path for Gabriel P. Thompson, who he described as Amaechi's preferred candidate.

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Ezekiel-Hart further alleged that three aspirants were persuaded to step down for Thompson in a disguised consensus arrangement, despite the party's public stance against consensus, which he claimed was a blatant attempt to subvert the democratic process.

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Dagogo later approached Ezekiel-Hart to jointly resist Amaechi's camp, but asked him to publicly congratulate him as the winner, a request that Ezekiel-Hart flatly rejected, telling Dagogo to stop invoking Atiku Abubakar's name in the process.

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Ezekiel-Hart said he rejected the offer and subsequently declared himself winner after Dagogo made a similar announcement, creating a situation where three candidates - Farah, Thompson, and himself - have all declared themselves winners, a scenario he described as absurd.

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The aspirant accused the Rivers ADC leadership of sidelining him despite being the only aspirant who formally notified the party in writing of his intention to contest, which he claimed was a clear violation of the party's rules and regulations.

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Ezekiel-Hart also faulted Amaechi for allegedly imposing candidates while demanding transparent presidential primaries at the national level, questioning the former governor's commitment to democratic principles and fairness.

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He urged the ADC National Working Committee to nullify the exercise and either conduct a fresh primary or adopt a lawful consensus arrangement in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which he claimed was the only way to restore credibility to the process.

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Ezekiel-Hart said he would pursue all grievances within the party's constitution and warned Dagogo against invoking Atiku's name to bolster his claim, vowing to exhaust every legal channel within the party to have his grievances addressed.