As the expanded State Executive Committee (SEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State chapter votes to have indirect primaries, it is becoming clear that the Minister of Transport, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was set to ensure the emergence of his friend, Tonye Patrick Dele Cole. 

The decision to have delegateship primaries was taking today at a meeting of the expanded SEC presided over by the Chairman, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, after it was put to a vote. 

Three votes were cast for consensus, one vote for direct primaries and 106 votes for indirect primaries. 

With the SEC allegedly populated more by Amaechi’s loyalists, the outcome was already predictable even before the meeting started. 

And this was given the need to use indirect primaries which would be more susceptible to manipulation since most delegates would ordinarily go for the Transport Minister’s choice, Tonye Dele Cole. 

Kristina Reports reliably learnt that a former guber aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who recently defected to the APC, Dumo Lulu Briggs was allegedly not comfortable with the decision of Amaechi to throw his weight behind Cole. 

Not only has he asserted that he was still in the race, he was preparing to face Cole at the primary. 

Beside him, was the Senator representing Rivers South East, Magnus Abe, who was also in the race to secure the governorship ticket of the party. 

Abe has been at loggerheads with Amaechi over the control of the APC in Rivers State. Incidentally, Abe served as Secretary to the State Government under Amaechi as Governor. 

With indirect primaries, all that was needed was for Amaechi to give directives on who to vote for during the primaries. This would positively affect the fortunes of his ‘anointed candidates’ for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and Governorship elections. 

Given the heavy financial war chest that Cole is bringing and that of his main opponent, Lulu-Briggs, some delegates were already looking forward to an imminent economic boom. 

Should Amaechi pull through with his plan to have Tonye Dele Cole emerge as flag-bearer, there are fears that it may cause an implosion as aggrieved parties like Abe, Lulu-Briggs, among others may cause problems for the party ahead of the elections. 

How these pan out remains to be seen in the coming days and weeks.