Wike’s Rainbow Coalition to field candidates in APC, PDP
The Rivers State Rainbow Coalition of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, has positioned two governorship aspirants to contest the primary elections of the Peoples Democratic Party
The Rivers State Rainbow Coalition of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, has positioned two governorship aspirants to contest the primary elections of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, OK Chinda, who hails from Obio-Akpor Local Government Area would contest on the PDP platform, it was learn’t yesterday.
But there were reports at the weekend, that the coalition had decided that another staunch loyalist of the minister, Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly would fly the APC flag.
It was gathered that the move by the coalition was to produce the governorship candidates for the parties and ensure that one of them emerges as the governor .
The decision of the coalition was said to have rattled the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who had already obtained forms through proxies to contest the election.
A source, which spoke in confidence said if the governor decides to contest, he would have to confront the coalition candidate in a direct primary poll controlled by local government chairmen and party leaders.
He said: “It will be a difficult contest for the governor. He doesn’t control the state and grassroots structures of the APC and that will make his clinching the ticket a Herculean task.
“The governor should have defected to another political party to contest for a second term because there seems to be no way for him in the APC”.
Fubara at the weekend received the Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The governor reportedly held a meeting with Otti, who left the Government House without stating his mission.
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“We don’t know whether Fubara will make a u-turn and turn to Labour Party (LP), which is currently controlled by Otti and seems to be more stable than other opposition parties ahead of the election.
“The goal should be to support President Bola Tinubu on a neutral platform and then fight for his re-election. It will be embarrassing should Fubara contest the APC primary and fail to clinch the ticket
The reported entrance of Kelly was viewed as a masterstroke by members of the coalition, who believed that no other candidate outside their union stood a chance to get the ticket.
Apart from Fubara, a billionaire businessman and former aspirant, Tonye Cole, also purchased the forms for the shadow poll rescheduled for May 23.
Kelly is a known political son of Wike and a loyal member of the coalition, who also hails from the Ijaw Kalabari axis of the state.
A trained Quantity Surveyor and Civil Engineer, Kelly served under former Governor Wike as the Commissioner for Works and resigned twice under the incumbent Governor Fubara during the crisis.
Kelly, who contested the PDP governorship primary in 2022 and came second after Fubara, was appointed the Director-General of Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA).
