Rivers ADC Crisis Deepens As Aspirant Drags Party, INEC To Court

An aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Khana Constituency I seat in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Legborsi Nwiabu, has dragged the party before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, alleging that he was unlawfully excluded from the party’s primary election.

Also joined as defendants in the suit are the ADC’s declared candidate for the constituency in the 2027 general election, Bright Nulee, and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, counsel for the ADC, Emenike Ebete, informed the court that the party had constituted a committee to resolve issues arising from the disputed primary.

Ebete made an oral application seeking the court’s leave to allow the parties to explore an amicable settlement outside the courtroom.

The application was not opposed by counsel to the second and third respondents.

However, counsel to the plaintiff, Felix Beragbara, objected to the request, insisting that his client had not been informed of the existence of any committee established by the party to resolve the dispute.

After listening to submissions from both parties, the presiding judge, Justice Muhammed Turaki, granted leave for an out-of-court settlement and adjourned the case until August 12, 2026, for a report on the outcome of the reconciliation process or, alternatively, for a hearing of the substantive suit.

Speaking with journalists after the court session, Beragbara explained that his client approached the court after exhausting the internal mechanisms provided by the party.

He maintained that Nwiabu remained willing to return to court should the reconciliation committee fail to resolve the matter.

Beragbara said, “My client was cheated out of the primaries of his party, which were scheduled to be conducted on the 21st day of May 2026.

“You must be aware that almost all the political parties conducted their primaries in May 2026. My client’s political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), also conducted its primaries, and my client was an aspirant seeking the party’s nomination for the House of Assembly seat for Khana Constituency I in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.”

No Official Came To Conduct The Election – Nwiabu Claims

On behalf of Nwiabu, the lawyer alleged that although the primary election was initially fixed for May 21, it was later rescheduled to May 22, prompting his client to mobilise supporters and agents across the constituency.

He claimed that despite waiting throughout the day, no election was conducted.

According to him, “That election was scheduled to be held nationwide on the 21st of May 2026.

“Unfortunately, the election could not be held on that date. It was rescheduled, or purportedly rescheduled, to the next day, May 22, 2026. My client mobilised his supporters, sent his field agents, and deployed them to all the voting centres across the 11 wards that make up Khana Constituency I.

“My client and his supporters, who are members of the ADC, waited from the morning, when accreditation was scheduled to commence, until nightfall.

“They did not see a single ADC official who came to conduct the election. They also did not see any monitoring officer from the third defendant in this suit.”

‘Party Ignored Petition’

Beragbara further alleged that after the exercise failed to hold, his client petitioned the party’s appeals committee and requested that a fresh primary be conducted.

He, however, claimed the complaint was ignored.

He said, “So the first defendant, my client’s political party, failed to conduct the primaries. My client then petitioned the appeals committee, stating that the election did not hold and asking them to conduct another election so that the party could have a legitimate candidate.

“They ignored my client’s complaint. What my client later heard was that they had declared the second defendant, Mr Bright Nulee, as the party’s candidate and forwarded his name to the third defendant, INEC, without conducting the election.

“That is why my client is in court to challenge the purported primary that produced the purported candidate. That is why we are here today.”

Meanwhile, counsel to the ADC, Emenike Ebete; counsel to the second respondent, B. F. Opara; and counsel representing INEC declined to comment on the proceedings after the court session, NOP.NG understands.