The emergence of billionaire businessman, Arch. Tonye Cole, as the governorship flag-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 elections in Rivers State has been described as the beginning of the process of liberation of the state from misrule.

A chieftain of the party in the state, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. He noted that “the nomination of a god-fearing, passionate and patriotic Rivers man like Cole is all that the APC needs to kick-start the process of delivering the state from the crippling grips of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Governor Nyesom Wike administration of waste and misrule.”

Eze maintained that the emergence of Tonye Cole “demonstrates the interest of the leadership and members of APC to rescue Rivers State from the verge of collapse, maladministration, gradual and steady crippling of our educational and agricultural sectors, uncommon massive looting of the common patrimony of the State with impunity and most importantly unraveling the untapped potentials of the state.”

According to him, “At this period of our history when Wike’s government is only interested in using Rivers State funds to revive a dead political party instead of investing in our youths and future of the state, the need for a person of the stature of Pastor Tonye Cole coming to our rescue needs not be over-emphasised. The fact remains that he is the most potent answer to Governor Nyesom Wike’s misrule of the state.”

He further noted that “Cole is a broadminded and god-fearing person, who is known for treating all persons as equals, irrespective of gender, age, class, religion or ethnicity.” Cole’s “nomination as the governorship candidate of the party and his eventual victory at the polls next March will address the perceived injustice done to the riverine segment of the state, which had not had a shot at ruling the state since the advent of the current democratic dispensation,” Eze said.

He congratulated Dr Diwari George, who came second during the APC gubernatorial primaries, “for demonstrating that he is a true leader whose loyalty to the party is not in doubt.”

On the alleged illegal parallel primary said to have been organised by Senator Magnus Abe, Eze said: “Senator Abe by hiring PDP elements to aid him to organise an illegal parallel primaries, against the directive of the National Working Committee of the party, vindicated and justified my position that Abe is not interested in having a united and virile APC but is out to do anything to weaken and if possible collapse the party structure in Rivers State just to pave way for Governor Wike to continue with his maladministration of the state till 2023 when they promised to hand-over power to him.

“Now that Senator Abe has made his intentions public, it will be futile and unfair if the leadership of the party fails to do the needful and save the party from desperate elements like Abe.”

Eze urged all Rivers sons and daughters to unite behind Cole so that “collectively we can move the state forward”.