A Former Member of the House of Representatives, Sokonte Davies has declared his intention to join the race to the Brick House on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after promising to work with any candidate the party puts forward as a consensus candidate for the 2023 election.
Recall that ten APC governorship aspirants from the Rotimi Amaechi’s faction of the party had declared to support whoever emerges flagbearer of the party in the state.
They had resolved to put aside any grievances and work together, to ensure that the APC emerged the winner in the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
Consequently, Arc. Tonye Cole, who the party’s frontline aspirant in 2019, was again, selected amongst other candidates as the consensus candidate.
However, after Cole emerged as the party’s consensus candidate, there have been mild rejections in some fragments of the party as some persons, including Ojukaye Flag Amachree, Magnus Abe amongst others had proceeded to purchase the governorship forms of the party ahead of its primaries.
Meanwhile, buttressing his decision to join the race, in a press statement on Tuesday, Sokonte Davis, who is the immediate past Executive Director, Marine, and Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said after consultation with the leadership of the party, he had proceeded to purchase the guber nomination form.
The statement reads, “Dearly beloved party men and women, recall that a number of aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter, including myself, had earlier reached a decision to support whoever emerged from an acceptable process that will reduce the number of aspirants for the primary election bothering on who will fly our party’s flag in the 2023 Governorship Election.
“This, I believe was to foster unity amongst the aspirants and promote party cohesion.
“Also, recall that on the 22nd of April 2022, far-reaching decisions were taken by some elders of the party, whom I respectfully call the 19 Cardinals concerning who the consensus ASPIRANT of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State Chapter would be especially among the Rivers Ijaw aspirants.
“The party elders in their wisdom announced Pastor Arch Tonye Cole as the consensus aspirant for the APC for the purposes of the primaries.
“Subsequently, and in the spirit of sportsmanship and as one who commits to a process whenever I get into one, I congratulated Arch Tonye Cole on his emergence as the preferred aspirant and called on everyone to support him.
“This has been my position all these past few days. However, emanating events as a result of the process is becoming bothersome. And whilst I do not oppose the outcome and still accept the integrity of the eminent Party leaders, some of the said events have the potential to make it difficult for us to go to the 2023 General Elections as a united front.
“Consequently, after wide consultation with the topmost leadership of the Party, I have decided to put myself forward to contest the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State.
“I announce to you that an option is before you today. I have also in the spirit of this, picked up my Expression of Interest and Nomination forms.
“I will be reaching out to more of you and counting on your support as we embark on this journey together. I submit to you today, that this is about all of us and not some of us.”
