Rivers APC anoints Tonye Cole as guber candidate

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has endorsed Tonye Cole as its standard-bearer in the  2023 governorship elections in the state.

Cole was chosen after a meeting by the leadership of the party Friday night.

According to Prince Tonye Princewill, one of the aspirants and an insider at the meeting, “the decision has just been made for Tonye Cole to fly the flag. It was not made by the Minister (Rotimi Amaechi). It was made by the leaders of the party.

“The 10 aspirants plus two new names that had also indicated interest were asked to excuse themselves while all of the leaders minus the Minister then sat and deliberated. We were just called back along with the Minister to be given their decision.”

Tonye Cole is one of the 11 candidates in the APC who recently signed a peace and unity accord ahead of the 2023 governorship election.

In 2019,  he was to represent the party in the governorship election but the move was truncated  by a court which halted the APC from fielding any candidate for the elections due to multiple litigation that resulted from parallel primaries held by disagreeing Amaechi and Magnus Abe’s factions of the party.

Until the 2019 elections, he was well-known as a rich businessman with an impressive resume.

He is perceived to be Amaechi’s strong business partner and has the financial requirements to wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP ) in Rivers.

is not clear if other aspirants are comfortable with the party’s decision as Senator Abe had earlier indicated his interest in the governorship candidate and had insisted on a clear and acceptable process of selection of the party’s standard bearer.

The other aspirants include, DrDakukuPeterside, DrDawari George, Prince TonyePrincewill and DrSokonte Davies;  BiokpomaboAwara, Francis Ebenezer Ada, Mina Tender, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree and IbinaboMicheal-West.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw National Congress,has  expressed joy with the APC decision to give its ticket to Cole, an Ijaw son.

In a radio programme monitored in Port Harcourt on Saturday morning, the President General of INC, Professor Benjamin Okagba, said the congress was happy with the decision and called  on the PDP and other  parties to also follow the footsteps of the APC.