26th April, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Tonye Cole, the candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers March 18 governorship election has written an open letter members party in the state, urging then to remain in the party for judicial battle to ‘reclaim his mandate’.
Cole, in the letter, passionately appealed to devout members of APC not to fall for the money, which he claimed are now being dangled before them by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ruling party in the state to betray, sabotage or cause internal rancour in Rivers APC.
In the open letter posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Cole claimed that the last 12 months has brought party members closer as a political family than ever and they have been tested as never before.
He pointed out that within the aforementioned time,”We witnessed colleagues in the line of fire succumb to the lure of money and cross over to PDP. We have seen others express bitter disappointment in unfulfilled expectations and leave as well.
“Some had ambitions to be candidates and when that failed, they refused to accept the fact and became either open foes or hidden saboteurs. Whatever the grouse expressed to leave APC or remain and fight internally, we somehow have remained standing.
He alluded to the fact that the party and its candidates, competed hard against Governor Nyesom Wike, who he described as “a man who had unfettered access to Rivers State resources and he deployed it with impunity and zero accountability to the people. After all, he has a perpetual injunction against federal law enforcement agencies looking into the books and affairs of Rivers State.”
He alleged further that “Our money was used to compromise the judiciary, but contrary to their expectation, we overcame this hurdle and today we stand at the threshold of another judicial encounter.
Cole therefore passionately called on APC members to keep calm: “We are almost there and I know our effort will not be in vain. Stay strong, stay true and stay focused on this journey.”
Read Tonye Cole’s Open Letter below
Dear friends and colleagues,
The last 12 months has brought us closer as a political family than ever and we have been tested as never before. In this time we have witnessed colleagues in the line of fire succumb to the lure of money and cross over to PDP. We have seen others express bitter disappointment in unfulfilled expectations and leave as well.
Some had ambitions to be candidates and when that failed, they refused to accept the fact and became either open foes or hidden saboteurs. Whatever the grouse expressed to leave APC or remain and fight internally, we somehow have remained standing.
In this time, we competed hard against a man who had unfettered access to Rivers State resources and he deployed it with impunity and zero accountability to the people. After all he has a perpetual injunction against federal law enforcement agencies looking into the books and affairs of Rivers State.
Our money was used to compromise the judiciary but contrary to their expectation, we overcame this hurdle, and today, we stand at the threshold of another judicial encounter.
I wish to send this call out to you personally. We are almost there and I know our effort will not be in vain. Stay strong, stay true and stay focused on this journey.
—Arch Tonye Cole,mni