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Rivers State’s political battlefield heated up sensationally on Monday as loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, swept the All Progressives Congress tickets for the forthcoming House of Assembly bye-elections, rattling the camp of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The APC primaries produced candidates for the February 21, 2026 bye-elections, which will be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission to fill two vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The contests will take place in Ahoada-East Local Government Area Constituency II and Khana Local Government Area Constituency II.
The Ahoada-East seat became vacant after its lawmaker, Edison Ehie, resigned amid the deepening political crisis in the state, while the Khana Constituency II seat was left empty following the death of Hon. Dunebari Loolo several months ago.
In a tightly controlled process, the APC conducted delegate congresses on Sunday, producing five delegates per constituency.
The exercise was organised by committees set up by the party’s National Working Committee.
The decisive primaries followed on Monday, with party officials, INEC observers and security agencies on ground to monitor proceedings.
When the dust settled, Hon. Napoleon Ukalikpe, widely known as a staunch ally of Wike, emerged as the APC flagbearer for Ahoada-East Constituency II. In Khana Constituency II, the ticket went to Mrs. Bulabari Loolo, the widow of the late lawmaker, in what party insiders described as a strategic settlement following her husband’s death.
The development has reportedly thrown the Fubara camp into confusion, as Wike’s loyalists tightened their hold on the APC ahead of the bye-elections, setting the stage for another supremacy battle in Rivers State.
