“Mr President, Invite These Four People To Solve Rivers Problem”, Tonye Cole

By Adesina Soyooye

An entrepreneur, politician, and a former Governorship Candidate, Tonye Cole, has revealed to the President and Nigerians the solution to the  political upheaval in Rivers State.

Cole was a two-time Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rivers State. A son of a former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Brazil, Dele Cole, was the Governorship choice of then  strong man of Nigerian politics,  and former Governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi.

Amaechi, aside from being a two-term Governor of Rivers  State, a two-term Minister for Transportation under former President Muhammadu Buhari,  he was, also,  for two times – 2015 and 2019 –   President Buhari’s Presidential Campaign Director General.

Yet, none of those high profile positions could push his Governorship Candidates through to victory – Dakuku Peterside in 2015, and Cole in 2019 and 2023. They were defeated by Nyesom Wike, Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Reacting to the political crisis in Rivers State between Wike and his political godson and successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara,  Cole, who spoke on Arise Television’s Morning Show, said the solution to Rivers State Crisis lies in the hands of four men. He said unless the four men sit together, with President Bola Tinubu as supervisor,  and discuss Rivers, peace will continue to  elude the State.

First on Cole’s list is Dr. Peter Odili, a two-term Governor of Rivers State and one of the most powerful Governors during his set. Odili is also regarded as the patriarch of Rivers politics, and the political mentor of most of the gladiators in Rivers State today. The second person, according to Cole, is Amaechi. The other two are Wike and Fubara.

Cole said these four men should sit them, resolve their differences, and prioritize Rivers State’s future over their personal ambitions.

Both Amaechi and Wike are known, especially, to be “Odili’s sons”, even though in recent times, political differences have crept in, making shaky, a once very closely knit political family.

Said Cole an Amaechi ally: “The State is larger than any single person or personal interest. Until these key actors sit down together and make the decision that Rivers State is more important than their individual interests, we will continue to see chaos.”

He wants President Tinubu to superintendent over the dialogue between the four people.