The epic battle to shift power to the riverine axis of Rivers State appears to have gained momentum as the All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted multibillionaire, Tonye Cole as its consensus candidate for the 2023 Governorship Election.

Former Rivers State Commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari announced this on Saturday, April 23, 2022 on his verified Facebook page and later confirmed it to Kristina Reports.

In the statement titled, “2023, THE ROAD TO SUCCESS”, the former two term lawmaker, who represented Bonny Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, informed that the decision, which was taken at a meeting of the APC leaders in Abuja on Friday, April 23, 2022, also resolved to return candidates of the party for the 2019 general elections.

“Yesterday 19 leaders of our dear party met in Abuja, and unanimously adopted Arch. Tonye Cole via a consensus. I, George Tolofari, was part of that meeting and so all decisions reached are binding on me.”

“In the strength of that, it was agreed that all the candidates who flew our flags in the 2019 election but didn’t have the opportunity to contest due to no fault of theirs, should be allowed a first right of refusal. Therefore, our candidates for the State Assembly and Federal House of Representatives have been given that concession to contest for these positions in 2023…”

In face of this development, expectations are now rife that other political parties, especially, the ruling party in the State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will align with this position and advance riverine candidates to fly their respective flags in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections.

Already, the lawmaker representing Degema/Bonny federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Farah Dagogo; Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Tammy Danagogo, immediate past Rivers State Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, among others, are lined up for a tussle to clinch the PDP ticket in the State.  

The last time Rivers State had a Governor of riverine extraction was during the shortlived administration of Chief Rufus Ada George between January 1992 and November 1993.

The next political dispensation saw Dr Peter Odili from Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA assumed office as Governor on May 29, 1999 and handed over to Celestine Omehia from Ubima in Ikwerre LGA on May 29, 2007. Omehia’s administration ended abruptly on October 25, 2007, when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of his cousin, Rotimi Amaechi, also from Ubima in Ikwerre LGA, who was later succeeded by his Ikwerre kinsman, Nyesom Wike on May 29, 2015.

These consecutive eight-year terms of office saw the seat of the State Chief Executive of the State in the hands of four individuals from the upland axis of the State. The two feeble attempts by the APC in the 2015 and 2019 polls ended in futility. These 24 years have also seen the riverine axis of the State suffer abject development deficit thus eliciting the loud clamour for a riverine governor.

Close watchers are optimistic that the time has come this anomaly and trend of political exclusion to be addressed by the various political parties to tow the path of political justice, inclusivity and equity by fielding candidates from the riverine axis of the State.