The primary elections into various elective political offices have been held and concluded, as two major political parties, the APC and PDP in Rivers State have also concluded their elections where winners and losers are now counting their gains and losses. City People Magazine’s Port Harcourt Bureau Chief, EMEKA AMAEFULA -+234(0)8111813069) here leads us into the list of losers in the primary elections as conducted by the Rivers APC and PDP.
OJUKAYE FLAG AMACHREE
The youthful and former Local Government Chairman and caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers State, Ojukaye Flag Amachree is not new to party politics as he was elected LGA Council Chairman of Asari Toru while Amaechi was Governor of Rivers State. He declared his interest to run for the governorship position of APC in Rivers State which he fulfilled. On May 26th, 2022, he participated in the governorship primary election that produced Tonye Cole as the winner with 986 votes. Ojukaye Flag Amachree came closer as he got 190 votes to take the second position.
SEKONTE DAVIES
The two-term member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing Bonny Island/Degema Federal Constituency, Dr. Sekonte Davies who was Finance Director of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Campaign Organization was appointed Director of Marine Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority immediately after Buhari won election in 2015. He contested to be elected Governor of Rivers on 26th of May, 2022 but came third with 46 votes.
SENATOR MAGNUS NGEI ABE
Not all politicians accept defeat, especially when the electoral process is not transparent and Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is not new to the electoral process since he first participated in the Rivers State House of Assembly in 2003 under the All Peoples Party (APP) as a member representing Gokana State Constituency and in 2011, he won election into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In 2019, he wasn’t able to make it to the ballot irrespective of his contributions as APC in Rivers State was stopped by the Supreme Court from fielding any candidate in the State House of Assembly, Federal House of Representatives, and governorship positions including Senate.
In 2022, he began the campaign to have Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of Nigeria while putting his eyes on how best to emerge as the governorship candidate of APC but the political machinery of the former Governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi overwhelmed him as he rejected the electoral process that brought the delegates who voted in the May. 26, 2022 governorship primary election in Rivers State where he was allotted one vote as a loser which he rejected. According to Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, his supporters who obtained Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms did not attend the Convention that elected Tonye Cole as the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and his supporters protested at the Party secretariat on Woji GRA Phase 2 Port Harcourt.
TONY OKOCHA
This former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area and former Chief of Staff to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has a deep interest in being elected into the Federal House of Representatives for Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency, for the second time as he obtained Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms in 2022 but he is Coordinator, Rivers State for Bola Ahmed Tinubu Supporters Vanguard (BATSV) which placed at variance with the presidential ambition of his former boss, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Tony Okocha belongs to Senator Magnus Ngei Abe’s Freedom House faction of APC in Rivers State with Magnus Abe as Leader and Governorship aspirant.
ISAAC KAMALU
The Peoples Democratic Party-(PDP) in Rivers State on the 26th of May, 2022 elected former Accountant General of Rivers State, Siminialaye Fubara who gathered a total of 721 Votes to emerge winner. The former Commissioner for Finance, Honourable Isaac Kamalu from Eleme Local Government Area emerged second with 86 votes. This politician was a member of Rivers State House of Assembly where he represented Eleme State Constituency.
GEORGE DAX KELLY
He is one of the favourite Governorship aspirants of Rivers State PDP who Governor Wike had positioned to take over from him come May 29th, 2023. This is the Special Adviser on Projects whose brilliant mind supports Governor Wike’s infrastructural development in Rivers State. George Dax holds a Doctoral degree from Nnamdi Azikiwe University while he is a wizard in Engineering Costing and Project development. He scored 37 Votes to come a distant third position in the Governorship Primary election.
TAMMY DANAGOGO
The former Minister of Sports and Youth Development and former Rivers State Secretary To State Government -(SSG), Dr. Tammy W. Danagogo had participated in the PDP Rivers State Governorship primary election with the hope to win but the fixed position of his boss Governor Wike who he helped to purchase his Governorship Form in 2014 far outweighed his personal interest of becoming the next executive governor of Rivers state in 2023. Dr. Danagogo, is a Lawyer who bagged a Doctoral degree in Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and was a Lecturer at Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu Orowurokwo, Port Harcourt now christened Rivers State University-(RSU) is not a happy man as he scored 36-votes to place 4th position.
WEST MORGAN
Before the PDP Primary election for Governorship aspirants, no one heard of the name West Morgan but he came out in a style that took many politicians by surprise. He lost the fourth position by 4 votes.
DAVID BRIGGS
This former Commissioner for Works during Dr. Peter Odili’s first tenure, Chief David Briggs has been around the political landscape of Rivers State as he was appointed Chairman, Rivers State Senior Secondary Schools Management Board. He got 4 votes.
BROTHER FELIX OBUAH
With his deep experience in Rivers State politics and as one of the few kitchen cabinet members of Governor Wike’s administration, he vowed to participate in the just concluded governorship primary election of PDP in Rivers State. But his participation actually showcased who he is when in the various horse-trading meetings that went on where the Governor had instructed his core loyalists about who is coming to replace him, some of the aspirants were asked not to withdraw but play along so as to give the electoral process the legitimacy it deserves with the lacklustre participation. Armed with this position, Brother Felix Obuah went a day before the primary election to appeal to his numerous supporters not to engage in any act inimical to the electoral process should the Rivers State PDP governorship Primary election not go in the direction they had wished it should go. At the several political meetings held by Governor Wike, this former State Chairman of PDP and former Sole Administrator of Rivers State Waste Management Agency-(RIWAMA) got only two votes at the Governorship Primary election.
– Emeka Amaefula
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