Rivers APC Appeal Panel Flooded with 16 Petitions as 65 Aspirants Face Disqualification; Fubara Loyalist Victor Oko-Jumbo Leads Fight to Reclaim Ticket

The battle for the “political soul” of Rivers State has moved into the hearing rooms of the APC National Secretariat as an appeal panel begins the high-stakes task of reviewing the mass disqualification of House of Assembly aspirants. On Tuesday, the Abdul Mahmud-led panel confirmed that 16 petitions have already landed on its desk, each representing a desperate “technical rescue” attempt by candidates hoping to avoid being permanently shut out of the 2027 race.

The controversy erupted after a brutal screening exercise saw nearly 70% of all applicants disqualified. Out of 98 hopefuls, a staggering 65 were told their papers were not in order, leaving only 33 cleared to participate in the primaries. This “technical fracture” has exposed the deep-seated divisions within the party; while Wike-aligned candidates dominated the cleared list, supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara found themselves almost entirely in the “uncleared” camp.

Among the high-profile petitioners is Victor Oko-Jumbo, whose presence at the secretariat signaled that the Fubara faction is not ready to surrender the party’s portal without a fight. Chairman Abdul Mahmud has been firm with the aggrieved: “As an appeal committee, we speak more to documents than oral presentations,” he warned. He urged all petitioners to bring their original certificates and clearance papers before the Wednesday evening deadline, noting that the committee will not be swayed by “political noise.”

This internal crisis is a major test for the 2027 transition cycle in Rivers State. With the screening committee’s secretary having earlier described the leaked results as a “false document,” the trust between the party’s warring factions is at an all-time low. As the panel prepares to deliver its final verdict, the question remains whether the APC can find a “value-addition” solution that keeps both factions under one roof or if the disqualified 65 will seek a different political portal entirely.