Architect Tonye Cole, the co-founder of Sahara Energy has emerged as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State.
Cole was selected amongst 11 other candidates from the Rotimi Amaechi’s faction of the party. He was also the party’s frontline aspirant in 2019.
Speaking on how Cole emerged, Andrew Uchendu, a former Senator representing Rivers East said: “Last night, our Leader Chibuike Amaechi set up a committee of Elders of about 19 members to meet immediately and decide on the Governorship candidate of our Party.
“We all met for about 2hours and unanimously chose Tonye Cole. The Committee immediately communicated this choice to our leader.
“I was a member of that Committee and therefore invite all of you as party faithful to accept this decision and communicate same to all our members. It is in our overall interest to do so. Let us get down to work for all our candidates.”
Meanwhile, Coordinator, the Progressives Aspirants Forum, George Tolofari said Tonye Cole was adopted as Riverine consensus.
He said: “On the 11th of April, 2022, we invited you all to a press briefing of the Progressives Aspirants where ten aspirants agreed and signed a unity accord to support any one of them that will emerge either by consensus or election at the primaries. Three other aspirants from the Riverine-Ijaw extraction later indicated an interest in the race after the press briefing making them 13 aspirants in all.
“Yesterday 19 leaders of our dear party met in Abuja with the 13 aspirants and unanimously adopted Arch. Tonye Cole as the consensus candidate for the Riverine-Ijaw aspirants to face any other aspirant that may wish to contest the party primaries on the Platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The 3 new entrants who later joined the aspirant’s forum are Tele Bertram Ikuru, Tekena Iyagba and Larry Allison (who was unavoidably absent at yesterday’s meeting due to late notice) also stand by the communique signed by the Progressives Governorship Aspirants.
“I call on all party members to put all differences aside and see ourselves as one indivisible family. We are party people and what should be paramount to us all is winning all electable positions in the forthcoming general elections, God being our helper.
“I also make bold to say that the leaders who made the decision were not influenced by anyone but took the decision to ensure that everyone is taken along”.
