Cole, APC Leaders Worked Against Tinubu in Rivers, Wike Alleges
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tonye Cole, and his people worked against the party’s presidential candidate, now President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but failed in the elections.
The governor alleged that while Cole was working for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, he (Wike) led the campaign for a southern Presidency that delivered bulk votes to Tinubu in the state.
Wike insisted that he owed nobody any apology for supporting a Southern presidency.
Referring to Cole, he said: “How can people say that they rigged you? You said you made your presidential candidate to win. Your presidential won, but you don’t get one Senate (seat). What kind of winning is that?
“They supported PDP candidate and they lost woefully. They didn’t get 25 per cent. We supported a southern president for equity, fairness and justice and we took the Senate. We took 11 House of Representatives seats out of 13. We prove to them we are responsible and we are in charge of the state.”
Wike wondered why Cole, and not his lawyers or agents, were the ones going to the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) office to collect certified true copies (CTC) of electoral materials.
The governor spoke yesterday during the inauguration of Government Secondary School in Kpor community of Gokana Local Government Area.
He said the show of desperation by Cole suggested a sinister motive that should not be quickly discountenanced but queried.
The governor dismissed as baseless Cole’s allegations against the Rivers PDP that they attacked him and prevented him from accessing the INEC office in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Wike insisted that the popularity of PDP in Rivers State enable it to win all three senatorial seats, 11 House of Representatives seats and all 32 State House of Assembly seats in the state.
The governor said the people would not have given Cole, who is facing prosecution for allegedly diverting $50 million proceeds from the sale of the state’s assets to Sahara Energy, their mandates.
Wike described as laughable the decision of the governorship candidate of Accord Party, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, and that of the Labour Party (LP), Beatrice Itubo, to approach the election tribunal to contest the results.
He said such candidates were not opponents in the election but were only desirous to be on the ballot.
The governor, who hailed his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, for supporting equity, fairness and justice, said PDP lost the chance of winning the presidential election due to impunity and arrogance.
Inaugurating the project, Governor Ortom praised Wike for sustaining his delivery of quality projects, working in synergy with the State Executive Council (Exco) to positively impact Rivers residents.
He said the beautiful school would provide an environment conducive for effective learning for the pupils, the nation’s future leaders.
Source : The Nation
