Rivers APC Crisis Deepens as Reinstated Beke Executive Voids Party Primaries

A fresh power struggle has erupted within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the reinstated executive led by Emeka Beke has declared all candidate nominations produced during the party’s recently concluded primaries null and void.

The move affects candidates who emerged under the faction led by Tony Okocha, including House of Representatives member Kingsley Chinda, a close ally of Nyesom Wike, who emerged as the APC governorship candidate following the withdrawal of Siminalayi Fubara.

The development follows a ruling by the Court of Appeal, which upheld an earlier High Court judgment nullifying the congresses that produced Okocha as chairman of the party in Rivers State.

In a statement issued by spokesman Darlington Nwauju, the Beke-led executive maintained that all decisions, nominations, communications, and official documents issued by the Okocha faction between December 20, 2024, and May 29, 2026, are invalid.

According to Nwauju, the Okocha faction lacked the legal authority to act on behalf of the APC during the period, making all actions taken under its leadership “illegal, null, void and of no effect.”

The faction also urged the APC’s National Working Committee to expunge all records of the disputed primaries, warning that failure to do so could lead to a repeat of the Zamfara APC Primary Crisis, which cost the party electoral victories after courts invalidated its primaries.

Furthermore, the Beke-led executive called on the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to withdraw certificates of return issued to local government chairmen and councillors elected under the Okocha faction during the August 2025 local government elections and replace them with candidates recognized by the reinstated executive.

The latest development intensifies the battle for control of the APC in Rivers State and could trigger fresh legal and political disputes ahead of the 2027 elections, particularly among allies of Wike and other stakeholders within the party.