There is a rising crisis of confidence in Aghoro Community, Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, over the alleged manipulation of the State House of Assembly Primaries that saw one Hon. Johnbull Cleopas as the clear winner.
The agitated NDC loyalists and community youths accuse the former First Lady and wife of the party’s national leader, Dr. Rachael Dickson, of allegedly manipulating the outcome of the primaries to favour her younger cousin, Mr. Alex Jenakumo.
Hon. Cleopas defeated his major opponent, Alex Jenakumo, who initially did everything possible to stop the process for fear of defeat, having noticed the overwhelming support for Hon. Johnbull Cleopas by the people of Aghoro Community and other communities in Ekeremor Constituency 3, but chickened out midway due to lack of capacity to mobilize votes for himself.
Newsmen gathered that the former First Lady, Mrs. Rachael Dickson, is doing everything possible to manipulate the result in favour of her younger cousin, Mr. Alex Jenakumo.
The action, according to party faithfuls, is described as unfair and sentimental.
According to the youths, through a local town crier announcement, the two contestants are all Aghoro descendants and must be treated equally and fairly by the former First Lady, whom they see as the mother of all. “Anything short of that will be seen as partiality and oppression, which they vowed to resist.”
They stated that the NDC direct primaries have come and gone, with Hon. Johnbull Cleopas declared the winner by the electoral officers, and that any further plan to subvert the will of the people will pitch the people against the party NDC, and that the NDC will be outrightly rejected by the Aghoro people.
It would be recalled that the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) State Assemblies primaries in Ekeremor Constituency 3 were widely and massively won by Hon. Johnbull Cleopas, who polled 245.
The direct primary was conducted at the Ekeremor Constituency 3 headquarters in Aghoro Community, and the result was collated by the collation officer, Mr. Ayibakuro Peter, and announced by the electoral officer, Mr. Oweila Adaka, at the end of the exercise.
Earlier attempts by the caucus of the party in the Ekeremor Local Government to impose a candidate were vehemently opposed by the leaders and stakeholders of the party.
The Ekeremor stakeholders and leaders of Constituency 3, after their last stakeholders’ meeting held on Wednesday, 27th May 2026, met with the five House of Assembly aspirants following their purchase of expression of interest forms.
The five aspirants are Hon. Steven Emiemene, Hon. Johnbull Cleopas, Barr. Worked Ekpetun, Alex Jenakumo, and Solomon Ikpaka.
It was gathered that after much deliberation with the five aspirants, the stakeholders narrowed the aspirants to two: Hon. Johnbull Cleopas and Alex Jenakumo.
The stakeholders later proceeded to vote, and Hon. Johnbull Cleopas polled a total of 12 votes, while Alex Jenakumo got 7 votes during the stakeholders’ meeting on 27th May 2026.
Hon. Johnbull Cleopas was declared the consensus candidate of Ekeremor Constituency 3 at the stakeholders’ level.
But in a twist of events, three members of the Ekeremor NDC Caucus, Chief Suru Oyarede, Elder Simeon Epebifie, and Hon. Pius Jonah, in collusion with the NDC Chairman in Ekeremor LGA, Mr. Ebide Brown, who are not members of Ekeremor Constituency 3, allegedly forwarded the name of Alex Jenakumo, who got just 7 votes, as against Johnbull Cleopas, who polled 12 votes at the stakeholders’ level. They claimed it was based on the order from above.
The action of Chief Suru Oyarede, Elder Simeon Epebifie, and Hon. Pius Jonah, in collusion with the NDC Chairman in Ekeremor LGA, Mr. Ebide Brown, is considered an affront to democracy and unacceptable by the stakeholders of Ekeremor Constituency 3.
They noted that they are leaders in their own right who have the independence to take decisions of their own without any interference.
They maintained that, as far as Ekeremor Constituency 3 is concerned, their stand is Hon. Johnbull Cleopas, who was selected at the stakeholders’ level, and they promised to resist any attempt to impose any other candidate.
They resolved that any attempt to do that will mean that those who have taken that decision should be prepared to leave their constituency and deliver whoever they are imposing.
