Tonye Cole denies alliance with Wike

The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has dismissed claims of working in collaboration with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Speaking on Channels Television, Cole insisted he has never met with Wike to discuss Rivers politics or governance, stressing that he is charting his own political course within the APC.

He maintained that, as the party’s most recent governorship flag bearer, he remains the legitimate leader of the APC in the state “regardless of whether Wike is in the PDP, APC, or both.”

Cole acknowledged former governor Rotimi Amaechi’s role in introducing him to politics, noting that while Amaechi is free to make his own political choices, he too has the right to choose his path.

The former APC candidate said his immediate priority is to stop the August 30 local government elections in Rivers State, which he and 21 other stakeholders have petitioned President Bola Tinubu to halt.

According to him, the process is illegal and dangerous to democracy, citing the absence of a lawfully constituted electoral commission and failure to give the constitutionally required 90-day notice.

Cole questioned the urgency in holding the polls with the tenure of the current administrators set to expire in a month. He argued that proceeding with the elections could repeat the procedural irregularities that led to previous polls being nullified by the Supreme Court.

Declaring his intention to run for governor again, Cole said Rivers State should not remain “in the mess it is now.”