A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has faulted the recent political developments surrounding Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s reported alignment with the ruling party, insisting that the faction of the APC that welcomed the governor is “not the APC recognised by law.”
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Cole also described the process that produced Fubara as governor in 2023 as “a very, very stolen mandate,” adding that he would contest against the governor in the 2027 governorship election.
Speaking during a discussion with ARISE NEWS on Thursday regarding the recurring political turmoil in Rivers State, Cole lamented that the state continues to make headlines for negative reasons rather than progress, describing the situation as both troubling and dangerous for Nigeria’s democratic process.
Concerning Governor Fubara’s defection narrative, Cole acknowledged that under normal political practice, a sitting governor would naturally assume leadership of the ruling party in the state. However, he stressed that this convention does not apply in the current situation because the APC structure that received the governor lacks legal standing.
He pointed to an existing court judgment that, according to him, nullified the process under which the current factional leadership under Tony Okocha emerged. As a result, he argued that all actions taken by that faction are legally invalid.
“We have a governor who defected into APC, displayed a card 001 as the leader of APC. Under normal political terms, a governor is the leader of the party in the state, under normal political terms. The main issue that Fubara has in the first instance is that the APC that welcomed him is not the APC recognised by law,” Cole said.
“There is a standing judgment that dismissed this entire process under which Tony Okocha stands as APC, which means that everything being done on that leg is illegal in the first instance. Now, everybody has ignored that, pushed that aside and continued to run. It is a dangerous precedent down the road, which means that Governor Fubara, as leader of APC, is not the leader of the APC.”
Cole warned that ignoring the court ruling and proceeding as though no legal issues exist sets a dangerous precedent. He maintained that despite claims and public displays suggesting otherwise, Governor Fubara cannot be regarded as the leader of the APC in Rivers State under the existing legal framework.
Clarifying his own position, Cole said the APC faction he belongs to remains the only one recognised by law, regardless of endorsements or recognition from party organs at the national level.
“Under the agreement of law and the proper one that stands, the APC that is recognised by law, I don’t care what is happening, whether the national says it is this one or not, the one recognised by law today is the APC under which I stand, of which I am the leader of that APC. At the end of the day, true justice and judgment will determine all of this,” he stated.
On the process that brought Fubara to power, Cole said: “The process that brought out Governor Fubara was live on TV. Everybody saw it. And it was, as best as I can describe it, a very, very stolen mandate. But I don’t cry over spilt milk. It was done. We went to court about it. The court declared him winner, regardless of how he came about. And so he is the legitimate governor of Rivers State regardless of the foundation that brought him in.”
He added that the foundation of Fubara’s emergence is what is causing all the problems, stressing that until stolen mandates and the way elections are run are addressed, the country will continue to have such challenges.
On whether he would run in 2027, Cole was emphatic: “Definitely. I’m going to be running against 001. 001 is illegal right now.”
Regarding FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Cole noted that Wike’s party affiliation remains unclear, stating that the PDP has expelled him and carried out a congress recognised by INEC, meaning he is effectively not in PDP, neither is he in APC.
“We have an FCT minister who is supposedly in PDP but we believe and we see that PDP has expelled him, carried out a congress that was recognised by INEC and so in effect he’s not in PDP at all neither is he in APC at this point. Where he stands, which party he belongs to is anybody’s guess,” Cole said.
When asked if he would work with Wike if President Tinubu directed him to do so, Cole responded: “I don’t have qualms working with anybody as long as what we’re doing is putting aside some very, very petty grievances to ensure that we are focusing on the development of the state. Rivers State requires the involvement of every single person for us to develop. We’ve hit a 20-year regression.”
On the state of Rivers under Fubara’s administration, Cole said the people are the victims.
“Since the day this government came in, this particular government till today, Rivers State has regressed in development, has regressed in every index that you can think about. And this is not right. And the people who are suffering are the people. It must end,” he stated.
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