POLITICS IN RIVERS IS TOO BITTER, SAYS TONYE COLE

Babatunji Wusu –

Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate for governor of Rivers State in 2023, has stated that there is much resentment in the state’s politics.
The leader of the APC stated that rather than taking politics too far and turning it into a bloody game, all parties involved in the South-South should work together.

Cole stated that politics should be viewed as a means of serving the people and advancing the state, rather than as a do-or-die endeavor, during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday night.

He said: “When you’re with one faction, you cannot talk with another, and you’re leaving out a lot of good people because there are capable individuals on both sides.”

Supreme Court Ruling
Speaking on the Supreme Court ruling which affirmed the election of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Cole said he was disappointed by the ruling.

The oil magnate said winning an Election is good, but it should not be the end of the journey for any politician.

He added: “I have had people come up to me, thanking me for the kind of politics I have run, and that tells me we are making a difference.”

Recall that the Supreme Court, on Thursday, dismissed the appeal of the APC and its candidate, Tonye Cole, against the election of Siminalayi Fubara as Rivers State governor for lacking in merit.

Tonye-Cole and APC had filed an appeal against Fubara, claiming the Governor did not resign as Accountant General of the state within the deadline stipulated by the constitution and the Electoral Act before contesting the 2023 elections.

The APC candidate insists that Fubara was not qualified to contest the election, let alone be declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Cole and the APC are, by the appeal, seeking to set aside the November 28, 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed Fubara’s election.

However, the apex court on Thursday, January 25, held that the appellant did not prove the allegations of noncompliance with the Electoral Act, among others.

The court held that the appeal was incompetent and dismissed it.