Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Tonye Cole, and George Kelly withdrew from the race, paving the way for Mr Chinda to stand unopposed.

Kingsley Chinda, a member of the House of Representatives, has been declared the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Rivers State.

Bitrus Kwamoti, the returning officer, announced that Mr Chinda, who was returned unopposed, polled 268,497 votes.

He said the figure represented the number of APC faithful who voted in support of Mr Chinda across the state.

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"The figure represents a true and accurate record of the votes collated across the state during the exercise," he said.

Mr Kwamoti said that Mr Chinda satisfied the requirements of the APC constitution and the election guidelines.

The returning officer said the election was peacefully and orderly conducted in all the wards across the state.

"The exercise was free, fair and orderly. It was in line with the party's constitution and guidelines," he said.

Mr Kwamoti commended party members and people of Rivers for their orderly conduct during the exercise.

Felix Obuah, an APC chieftain in Rivers, said that with Mr Chinda, the party now stood a formidable chance of winning the governorship poll in Rivers.

"Our party has presented the best candidate for the governorship election. I am personally grateful to God.

"With the outcome of this exercise, I can tell you that Rivers people are united irrespective of ethnic background," he said.

Mr Obuah described Mr Chinda as a dependable and trusted administrator with a strong commitment to the development of Rivers.

It would be recalled that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Tonye Cole, and George Kelly withdrew from the race, paving the way for Mr Chinda to stand unopposed.