Rivers ADC campaign council launches its 600-member team led by Andrew Uchendu, promising peaceful campaigning and better governance ahead of the 2027 election
The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has inaugurated a 600-member governorship campaign council in Port Harcourt, with Senator Andrew Uchendu as chairman and Hon. Chimbiko Akarolo as Director-General, as the opposition party intensifies preparations for the 2027 governorship election amid continuing political tensions in the state.
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The inauguration, held on Monday, formally handed responsibility for coordinating the party’s governorship campaign to a team expected to mobilise support across Rivers State’s 23 local government areas.
The council’s formation marks a significant step in the ADC’s efforts to strengthen its grassroots organisation and present an alternative political direction to voters.
Speaking at the ceremony, Rivers ADC chairman Chief (Dr) Chukwudi Dimkpa urged members to approach their assignments with discipline, accountability and a strong sense of responsibility.
“Having duly presented the leadership, directorates, departments, and membership of the River States 2027 Governorship Campaign Council, and acting in my capacity as the state chairman of the ADC River States, I hereby formally inaugurate the campaign council,” Dimkpa said.
He instructed members to carry out their duties in accordance with the party’s constitution, approved terms of reference and the laws of Nigeria.
Dimkpa also called for unity and a results-driven approach, placing the campaign council under the overall authority and policy direction of the state party leadership.
Uchendu, in his acceptance speech, described the political climate in Rivers State as troubling and accused powerful political interests of allowing personal rivalries to overshadow the needs of residents.
“While Godfathers wage private wars of ego in Abuja and Port Harcourt, governance in Rivers State has been completely abandoned,” Uchendu said.
He criticised the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, alleging shortcomings in healthcare, education, infrastructure and access to essential public services.
Uchendu also argued that the state’s oil wealth had not translated into adequate living conditions for many residents.
The allegations reflect the ADC leadership’s political assessment and were not independently established by the inauguration announcement.
The state government was not represented in the reported proceedings, and no response to Uchendu’s specific claims was included in the account of the ceremony.
Uchendu said the ADC wanted to restore institutional stability by ensuring that the executive, legislature and judiciary could perform their constitutional responsibilities independently and in the interests of the public.
“The state was not created for one man to own or control,” he said, warning against political arrangements that place individual influence above public accountability.
The campaign chairman urged members to take the party’s message to communities, wards and local government areas throughout the state.
He also called for a non-violent, issue-based campaign that would bring together Rivers State’s diverse communities rather than deepen existing divisions.
“Our task is clear. We must rescue what we have before, that has been lost. We must recover and rebuild our state for ourselves and our children yet more,” Uchendu said.
He further urged the party to pursue an inclusive political programme, adding that every vote in the forthcoming election must count.
The emphasis on peaceful engagement will be an important test of the council’s ability to turn its rhetoric into a credible campaign focused on public concerns.
The inauguration follows the ADC’s announcement of its campaign leadership on 13 October 2026. In that earlier announcement, Dimkpa named Uchendu as chairman and Akarolo as Director-General, alongside vice-chairmen, deputy directors-general, directorate leaders and departmental heads.
The party also outlined a structure of 12 directorates to coordinate its campaign operations across the state.
Uchendu, a former senator who represented Rivers East, is an ally of former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, who has joined the ADC and emerged as a prominent figure in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections.
Akarolo, a former chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, brings local government experience to the campaign’s administrative leadership.
The council’s inauguration comes as political parties begin organising for the next electoral cycle.
The ADC is seeking to establish a stronger presence in Rivers State, an oil-producing state of considerable economic and political importance, where disputes over political authority have repeatedly disrupted relations between elected institutions.
The conflict between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, began in 2023 and developed into a wider struggle involving rival factions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The dispute triggered court battles over legislative authority, budgetary processes and the status of elected officials.
Tensions escalated in March 2025 when President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended the governor, his deputy and members of the state legislature for six months.
The emergency rule ended in September 2025, allowing elected officials to return to office, but subsequent developments showed that the underlying political disagreements had not been fully resolved.
In January 2026, lawmakers renewed impeachment proceedings against Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, before the process was suspended in February amid further legal and political developments.
The episode underscored the continuing fragility of the state’s political settlement.
Against this background, the ADC’s criticism of governance is entering an already charged political debate.
Uchendu’s claims about failing services and abandoned public infrastructure will require scrutiny against verifiable evidence, while the state government’s record and responses remain important to a balanced assessment of conditions in Rivers State.
For the newly inaugurated council, the immediate challenge will be to move beyond criticism and communicate specific, practical proposals on healthcare, education, roads, public utilities, institutional independence and economic opportunity.
Its ability to engage residents on these issues, maintain internal discipline and avoid inflammatory political exchanges could shape how voters assess the party in the months ahead.
As preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum, the ADC has framed its campaign as a call for accountability, inclusion and a renewed commitment to public service.
Whether the 600-member council can convert that message into sustained grassroots support will depend on the clarity of its policy commitments and the credibility of its engagement with the people of Rivers State.
Research and background sources: Punch Newspapers reported the appointment of Uchendu and Akarolo on 13 October 2026.
The Sun Nigeria provided additional details on the council’s intended reach across all 23 local government areas.
TheCable documented the earlier political dispute, including impeachment proceedings and the breakdown in relations between Fubara and lawmakers.
Reuters reported the end of emergency rule in September 2025 and the reinstatement of elected officials.
Premium Times covered renewed political tensions and the suspension of impeachment proceedings in February 2026.
The distinction between the ADC’s allegations and independently verified facts is important for a professionally balanced political report.
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Criticism of the governor has therefore been attributed to Uchendu rather than presented as established findings.
