…Suspicions of betrayal rock APC
By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The continued silence of leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in the face of recent challenges being faced by the party’s governorship candidate in the March 18 gubernatorial election, Tonye Cole, is making the people of Kalabari angry.
They are worried that Amaechi is not doing enough to protect their kinsman from the bullying of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state which is now posing a big threat to Cole’s chances of filing an effective petition at the election tribunal.
The APC guber candidate’s lawyers, working in the chambers of Tuduru Ede SAN and Co. were, on Saturday, arrested by the police while putting together information needed for their petition, at the hotel where they lodged, with their laptops and sensitive documents confiscated.
Although the three lawyers were later released on self cognition while their five support staff were bailed, Tonye Cole, again narrowly escaped being lynched by PDP loyalists protesting at INEC office at Aba Road, after preventing him from entering the office for the inspection of election materials to ascertain the authenticity of the results announced by INEC after the governorship election of March 18, 2023.
It was gathered that the timely intervention of security agents was what saved Cole from the hands of the angry protesters who were demanding that all the political parties should be allowed to participate in the inspection, on Monday.
The protesters were also seen stoning the Abennema-born businessman-turned politician during the fracas.
But condemning what they see as the abandonment of Tonye Cole by the Rivers APC leader, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, some Kalabari citizens questioned the rationale behind such attitude.
They expressed concern that he is not seen to be standing behind Cole in this challenging moment of his quest to reclaim the governorship mandate.
“I had expected the APC leader and other stalwarts of the party to be with Cole at this moment but I’m surprised that they’re no where to be found. It’s only one or two that I’m seeing. Where is Amaechi? where is Dakuku? Where is Ngofa? Where is the minister, Odum? Where is Asita? Where are they? I can’t see them, I can’t see Amaechi and his boys. Why are they abandoning Tonye at this time? I hope all is well? I’m still watching,” a member of one of the Tonye Cole support groups from Abonnema cried out.
A political stakeholder from Harry’s Town, Degema, likened Cole’s predicament to that of an orphan, accusing Amaechi of abandoning him to fight alone.
“Amaechi is like a boat driver who brought somebody to the middle of the sea and abandoned him, without even providing life jackets for him. Why can’t he talk since all these things started? Is he not the leader again?
“See how Wike is fighting for Sim Fubara, both before, during and after the election, defending him everywhere; that’s what we expect Amaechi to do for Tonye Cole,” he said.
However, condemning the attack on Tonye Cole, a Kalabari Chief warned
that his people would not take it lightly if anything happens to their son. He advised the PDP to eschew violence and play by the rules of the game.
“Politics should not be a do or die affair, so I don’t see why PDP should take to intimidation and violence. If they’re so sure that they won without rigging, why are they worried about inspection of election materials?
“They should rather take it easy so that nothing happens to our son Tonye. He’s a Kalabari man and has the best chance of becoming governor, among the other Kalabari candidates because he came second, so we’re behind him as he plans to challenge the results at the tribunal. If anybody hurts him, we won’t take it lightly,” the chief, who spoke anonymously, said.
Meanwhile, there are feelers that some APC members were responsible for the leaked information about the whereabouts of Tonye Cole’s lawyers that led to their arrest on Saturday.
A source revealed that the APC members who leaked the information are among those that are aggrieved over the lack of internal democracy in the party but are still pretending as if all is well, adding that their main reason for remaining in the party is to serve as spies for the PDP.
