Tonye Cole, a former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Nigeria’s South-south, says he will contest in the 2027 governorship election in the state.
He disclosed this on Tuesday when he appeared as a guest on the Arise Television programme, Prime Time.
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Mr Cole, who contested and lost the 2023 Rivers governorship election, said he has a goal to become the governor of the oil-rich state.
Before the 2023 election, Mr Cole’s ambition to become Rivers governor was frustrated by a protracted factional fight in the Rivers APC; he “won” the APC primary organised by a faction led by Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers, while a different primary organised by another faction produced Magnus Abe as the “winner”. The court eventually barred the APC from fielding a candidate in the election.
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Mr Cole, a wealthy businessman, resigned from the board of directors of the Sahara Group of Companies in September 2018 to join Rivers’ politics.
Relationship with Amaechi
Speaking about his relationship with Mr Amaechi, he acknowledged that the former minister of transportation introduced him into politics.
Mr Amaechi was the governor of Rivers from 2007 to 2015.
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Mr Cole said he remains committed to the APC and has no intention of joining Mr Amaechi in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Nobody can take away the fact that he brought me into politics,” Mr Cole said, noting that while Mr Amaechi wants to be Nigeria’s president, he remains focused on Rivers State.
“I have always had a lot of respect for individuals like Rotimi Amaechi and others. I have consistently said he has a goal and ambition where he wants to go, and so do I. I have my own ambition and goals,” he said.
The Rivers politician said he “did not agree” with the way the recent Rivers local elections were conducted.
Mr Amaechi’s arch-rival, Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, controls both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers. It is unclear how Mr Cole will manage the minister’s overbearing influence in the APC.
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