Why Billionaire Tonye Cole Is Greatly Troubled Over Rivers Guber Ambition
Tonye Patrick Cole, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for 2023 gubernatorial in Rivers State, is greatly troubled at the moment, information pieced together by highstreet.ng has revealed.
An ally of Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation, the billionaire co-founder/former Group Executive Director of Sahara Group – an energy conglomerate – emerged the flag bearer of the APC for the 2023 governorship election on May 26, 2022.
Mr. Cole polled 986 out of 1308 votes to defeat his challengers, namely: Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, Sokonte Davies, Micheal West, Bernard Mikko and Magnus Abe, who got 190 votes, 49 votes, 43 votes, two votes and one vote respectively.
His worries, according to sources, are not unconnected with recent activities in APC appearing to be threatening his dream of governing the south-south state.
He, as a matter of fact, sees the ongoing political dalliances between Governor Wike – the incumbent he and his political godfather Rotimi Amaechi are plotting to dislodge – and ranking members of his party as an obstacle of sorts to his aspiration, information gathered by highstreet.ng revealed.
Governor Nyesom Wike is the arrowhead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State.
A number of ranking members of the APC have in recent times embarked on “political pilgrimages” to Rivers State Government House, according to a report, to talk Mr. Wike into dumping the opposition for the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Interestingly, the arrangements were cloaked by the governor and his men “in visitations for the commissioning of projects initiated and completed by Rivers State Government”.
And the latest of such was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiabila’s visit to the State to declare open the new Rivers State House of Assembly quarters.
The governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko among others had earlier paid similar visitations.
“Mr. Cole is very uncomfortable that top members of his party have been visiting Rivers State to woo the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike to join the ruling party without giving a damn what happens to his gubernatorial ambition”, a source pointed out.
He understands that Mr. Wike, who is equally fighting an in-house battle with the leadership of his party over the outcome of the PDP Presidential Primary he lost to the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yielding to their overture will definitely put Mr. Cole’s gubernatorial aspiration in serious jeopardy, further information at the disposal of highstreet.ng revealed.
