There are speculations that former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi has thrown his weight behind the Founder and CEO of Sahara Energy Group, Mr Tonye Cole to be the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the forthcoming governorship election in Rivers State.
Mr Tonye Cole is a Business mogul with interest in Oil & Gas, Energy and Media.
Although it has not been made official, the choice of Cole, according to political observers will ruffle shoulders within the ranks of the party as other key contenders who have been positioning themselves for the position will be disenfranchised.
The choice of Tonye Cole by Rotimi Amaechi is coming as a shocker to some people who have been expecting the second endorsement of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, who was the candidate of the APC in the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State, one analyst, Chidi Eze said.
At some points, news had it that the relationship between Rotimi Amaechi and Dakuku Peterside had gone sour and that the continued stay of Mr Peterside at NIMASA was a ploy by Amaechi to cover up the soured relationship between them from the public.
The snag in all of these is the fact that the governor of the state, Nyesom Wike has in recent times become very popular in Rivers State and defeating him by a soft-minded man like Tonye Cole won’t be an easy task to do by the APC, and not even Dakuku Peterside will, another analyst wrote.
With Tonye Cole coming into the picture of Rivers State politics right now, the future of the state, however it sounds, maybe on the verge of growth, putting into consideration, his wealth of experience, his global connections, his brain-power, but his is of the PDP stock still, Eze said.
“Rivers State needs strong institutions, and not strong men to pick and choose for the good people of the state.
Any prospective leader in Rivers State who cannot run, fly, or swim on his own merit, but will have to hang on to the apron strings of some other persons, whose capacity, competence, pedigree, or past performance we may not necessarily respect, is not worth wasting any thought.”
– Dr. Kombo Mason Braide
Read other reactions below…
When it comes to @GovWike
, they will accuse him of 'Ikwerre sentiments" Now Amaechi has used the "ijo sentiments" to field an unpopular candidate, just to make believe.Magnus Abe was even a more popular candidate than Tonye Cole.
CRA Okweee
WIKE FOR THE WIN@OfficialPDPNig
— Kirikeni Toku (@Datoofthecreeks) August 31, 2018
I was thinking if a Kalabari man was going to get Ticket it was going to be Tonye Princewill,but surprising it is Tonye Cole.Well in my opinion Tonye Cole is a better choice
— Proudly Nigerian (@Mr_kunlecole) August 31, 2018
Honest truth is i like Tonye Cole and Wike on a personal level aside politics. I have met both men one on one and they both inspired me on different aspects of life ,if i was a neutral party it would be hard for me to pick one over the other.
— Proudly Nigerian (@Mr_kunlecole) August 31, 2018
Tonye Cole will bring development to Rivers State
— Proudly Nigerian (@Mr_kunlecole) August 31, 2018
Tonye Cole is declaring interest soon ? https://t.co/PAzOhDB5ZJ
— Tèmítópé (@TEMIT0PE) August 31, 2018
ABSENTEE ASPIRANT TONYE COLE ALLEGEDLY ENDORSED BY https://t.co/ivYeICxKQi PICK NOMINATION FORM TODAY
— Andybriggsreport (@ABReport) August 31, 2018
With the endorsement of Tonye Cole as Rivers APC’s Guber Aspirant, factional leader of the Party Chibuike Amaechi brings to an end years of mounting pressure on him and subtle infighting for the ticket within… https://t.co/aqN1clTqYc
— The Press of Nigeria (@ThePressNgr) August 31, 2018
So TONYE COLE is the candidate for @realAPCrivers to contest against Gov. Wike(Mr. project).
— NYEWE ELI IWHURUOHNA (@BeksHolmes) August 31, 2018
You CANNOT front a man like Tonye Cole as against @GovWike
That's beyond underestimating an opponent..
Its an outright insult to the office of the Governor of Rivers State.
Tonye who has no base in his hometown will hold a structure like Rivers State?
Ridiculous
— Kirikeni Toku (@Datoofthecreeks) August 30, 2018
I don't think I'd engage you on a conversation on what Rivers people want or need.
Tonye Cole should better reject and refuse this offer from CRA..
Its going to kill his reputation as a "Technocrat" like you say.
Politics in Rivers state is beyond social media.@GovWike LEADS
— Kirikeni Toku (@Datoofthecreeks) August 30, 2018
Between Nyesom Wike and Tonye Cole, who would you prefer to run the affairs of Rivers State. Honest answers. If you day fear, you can inbox your answer
— Wabiye Idoniboyeobu (@wabiyeidons) August 30, 2018
Amaechi just made the same mistake he made in 2014,…
Flag an unpopular candidate, with zero base in Rivers State and clamour supports from hard core loyalists.
Giving them triple the job to accept Tonye Cole, like Dakuku.
This is an easy slide win for PDP@GovWike it is !
— Kirikeni Toku (@Datoofthecreeks) August 30, 2018
