All but one of the 17 candidates who bought their expression of interest and nomination forms for the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State over the weekend scaled through the screening.
Only Dr Farah Dagogo, the member representing the Bonny/Degema constituency in the House of Representatives was not cleared because he did not present himself for the screening.
The lawmaker actually came to the South-South PDP secretariat, the venue of the screening to participate in the exercise but was arrested by the police because he was declared wanted by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, for allegedly hiring cultists to disrupt the state and national assembly candidates screening held a day earlier than the governorship screening.
All the other 16 candidates were successful at the screening without anyone disqualified. Some of the candidates include some active members of the state executive council and former commissioners, serving and former senators.
Rumours making the rounds in the state have it that based on the support of the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike, himself a presidential aspirant, the immediate past Accountant General of the State, Asimilaye Fugbara, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Tammy Danagogo and the Sole Administrator, Rivers State Waste Management Agency, RIWAMA, Felix Obuah are in pole position to clinch the governorship ticket of the PDP.
Others are one serving Senator, George Thomson Sekibo and two former ones, Senators Olaka Worgu and Lee Maeba.
Also included are three commissioners who resigned to pursue their ambitions, namely; Isaac Kamalu, Finance Ministry, Boma Iyayi, Sports Ministry and George Kelly who was Governor Wike’s Special Adviser on Special Projects.
Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and close ally to Governor, Wike, Austin Opara was also cleared to contest in the PDP governorship primaries. Former Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo, former commissioner of Water Resources, David Briggs and Dawari George also were successful at the screening.
The public is waiting with anticipation for the horse-trading ahead of the primaries to produce the flagbearer of the party for the 2023 governorship election.
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