The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared Dr Gabriel Pidomson as its official governorship candidate In a dramatic twist ahead of the 2027 Rivers State gubernatorial election.
The announcement overturns earlier widespread media reports suggesting that a former member of the House of Representatives, Farah Dagogo, had clinched the ticket. Instead, final results collated at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt on Saturday night revealed a landslide victory for Mr Pidomson.
Mr Pidomson, an Ogoni indigene from the Gokana Local Government Area, reportedly ran as the preferred candidate of the former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
According to the figures released by the party, Mr Pidomson secured a dominant victory by polling 112,068 votes in a direct primary exercise conducted across all 23 local government areas of the state.
The official declaration was made by the Chairman of the ADC Primary Election Committee in Rivers State, Carol Obaro, who verified the integrity of the ballot.
“Therefore, the highest score here is 112,068 votes for Gabriel Pidomson and, having satisfied the requirements of the ADC and the constitution, scored the highest votes and is hereby declared the winner of the primary election and returned elected as the ADC governorship candidate in Rivers State,” Mrs Obaro announced. “I, Hon. Carol Obaro, as Chairman of the Primary Election Committee in Rivers State, so declare.”
The final tally left the other four contenders trailing significantly behind. Sokonte Davies finished a distant second, securing 16,872 votes.
Mr Dagogo, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant who had prematurely claimed victory in previous days, placed third with 2,369 votes.
The remaining ballots were split among the other aspirants in the race. Leloonu Nwibubasa placed fourth with 1,476 votes, followed by Henry Ogbonna who polled 546 votes, while Allen Ezekiel Hart finished last with 268 votes.
Mr Pidomson is no stranger to the political landscape of Rivers State. He previously represented the Gokana Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly between 2003 and 2007.
Following his legislative tenure, he transitioned to the state executive arm, serving briefly but significantly as the Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) from June to October 2007 under the administration of Sir Celestine Omehia.
His emergence as the flagbearer positions the ADC as a key contender in what promises to be a highly competitive gubernatorial race in 2027.
Leave a comment