The Independent National Electoral Commission has published the final list of 19 candidates cleared to contest the 2027 governorship election in Rivers State, with Kingsley Ogundu Chinda of the All Progressives Congress, Dumo Lulu-Briggs of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson of the African Democratic Congress among the prominent names on the ballot.
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The final list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the Commission’s website on Saturday, also includes Ejekwu Samuel Soni of the Peoples Democratic Party, Boms Chima Ernest of the Labour Party and Ben-Gurion J. Peter of the Social Democratic Party.
Chinda, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, will fly the APC flag, while Lulu-Briggs will represent the NDC. Pidomson, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, is the ADC candidate after emerging from the party’s governorship primary earlier in the year.
Others on the final list are Chibuzor Israel Rain of the Action Alliance; West Ivy of the Action Alliance of Nigeria; Lawson Anyanate Angel of the Action Democratic Party; and Idoniboye-Obu Omangima of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Also cleared are Whyte Churchill Dagogo of the Action Peoples Movement; Atata Okechukwu Kenneth of the Action Peoples Party; Benjamin Abednego Oli of the Boot Party; and Warigbani Ezekiel Zebulun of the Democratic Leadership Alliance.
The list further includes Opusonju Silva of the National Democratic Party; Pepple Wari Dienye of the National Network for Progressive People; Minaibim Harry of the National Rescue Movement; Kieghe Nature Dumale of the People’s Redemption Party; and Hart Victor Godwin of the Zenith Labour Party.
The full list, as published by INEC, is:
- Chibuzor Israel Rain — Action Alliance (AA)
- West Ivy — Action Alliance of Nigeria (AAN)
- Gabriel Pidomson Baritulem — African Democratic Congress (ADC)
- Lawson Anyanate Angel — Action Democratic Party (ADP)
- Chinda Kingsley Ogundu — All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Idoniboye-Obu Omangima — All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)
- Whyte Churchill Dagogo — Action Peoples Movement (APM)
- Atata Okechukwu Kenneth — Action Peoples Party (APP)
- Benjamin Abednego Oli — Boot Party (BP)
- Warigbani Ezekiel Zebulun — Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA)
- Boms Chima Ernest — Labour Party (LP)
- Dumo Lulu-Briggs — Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)
- Opusonju Silva — National Democratic Party (NDP)
- Pepple Wari Dienye — National Network for Progressive People (NNPP)
- Minaibim Harry — National Rescue Movement (NRM)
- Ejekwu Samuel Soni — Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Kieghe Nature Dumale — People’s Redemption Party (PRP)
- Ben-Gurion J. Peter — Social Democratic Party (SDP)
- Hart Victor Godwin — Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The publication of the final list formally sets the field for the Rivers governorship contest and comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Pidomson had earlier emerged as the ADC candidate after the party’s primary conducted across the state, while the publication of Chinda’s name confirms him as the APC candidate on INEC’s final list.
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