Rivers 2019: Tonye Cole wins APC ticket in controversial primary election

Tonye Cole, has been declared winner of the All Progressives Congress, APC, parallel primary election in Rivers State coordinate by the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi. In the indirect governorship primary, Cole got 3,329 votes to defeat Dawari George who got 491 votes.

The indirect primary election held simultaneously with another primary election which adopted direct voting by APC members in Rivers State coordinated by Senator Magnus Abe, representing South East Senatorial District in the National Assembly. Senator Abe was declared winner of the other parallel primary election in Rivers State.

National Daily gathered that the APC national leaders accepted the primary election conducted by the Rotimi Amaechi faction in the state where two governorship candidates were elected within the party.

Tonye Cole was the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the Sahara Group, an oil and gas infrastructure conglomerate with operations in over 30 countries.

Senator Abe and his supporters had argued that it’s the turn of the Ogoni and the neighbouring climes to produce the Governor of Rivers State in 2019, agitating that power must rotate in the state.

Abe had declared before the Sunday primary election that he would not attend the primary election conducted by the Amaechi faction and would not accept the result. The senator had contended that the adoption of indirect delegate election to nominate APC governorship candidate in the state is not in conformity with earlier agreement for a direct primary election. He noted that the agreement was reversed after Amaechi was re-appointed Director General of Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization, using his new appointment to influence major decisions at the APC hierarchy.