Dr Dawari Ibietela George, former Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources under ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in Rivers.

He emerged the AA governorship candidate after scoring 93 votes from the accredited delegates in a substitution primary of the party held in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

“Today, after wide consultations across different strata of society, and in line with my personal conviction of a divine call to service, I accept my election as the flag bearer of the Action Alliance (AA) and consequently offer myself to the electorate and the good people of Rivers State to contest for the dignified office of the governor of our dear Rivers State,” said the ex-former Rivers commissioner in his acceptance speech.

George, who was a strong supporter of Amaechi, the immediate past Minister of Transportation, recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He was among the chieftains that brought in Tonye Cole as the APC governorship candidate in Rivers.

The substitution primary of AA was conducted in the presence of the representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Department of State Services and Nigeria Police Force.

The National Chairman of AA, Chief Kenneth Udeze, in his address to the delegates and other party faithful at the primary, said the party planned to take over governance of Rivers from the ruling PDP government.

Rivers State must get back to the path of planned development and peaceful coexistence. This was the course charted by His Royal Majesty, King Alfred Diette Spiff, the first governor of the old Rivers State,” George added.

The party also conducted a substitution primary for seven state constituencies, including Port Harcourt City constituency II, Bonny, Degema, Ahoada East, Etche constituency II, Ogba Egbema Ndoni constituency II and Gokana state constituency.