Tonye Cole Calls for Peaceful Tenure for Governor Fubara
Former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has described the emergence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara as contentious from the outset.
Cole noted that the political crisis that followed Fubara’s assumption of office and his subsequent confrontation with his predecessor, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, created serious obstacles to effective governance in the state.
He said he believed Fubara would have consulted his close allies before settling on the political direction he has now taken.
“My assumption is that the governor would have sat down with his trusted allies, discussed the way forward, and concluded that this is the best path for the next six months or so of his administration,” Cole remarked.
He acknowledged that he was not part of those discussions and therefore cannot state exactly what informed Fubara’s decision.
“But I am not in his chamber, so I wouldn’t know. That, however, is what I would assume he did,” Cole added.
According to Cole, having chosen to return to office and complete his tenure, Fubara must now prioritise governance and steer clear of further political battles.
“But the battle that was fought? Now, what do you do? Do you walk away? If he was going to walk away then, he should not have come back as governor,” he said.
“But having taken the responsibility to come and finish his term, then he has to finish it in a way that allows him to govern. He can’t go back into fighting,” Cole stressed.
Cole argued that the controversy surrounding Fubara’s administration began with the manner in which he emerged as governor and persisted throughout his political conflict with Wike.
He contended that the prolonged disagreement between the governor and his predecessor has negatively impacted Rivers State.
“First of all, the method with which he came into power in the first instance was contentious. Throughout the period when he was there, the contention between himself and his predecessor created a lot of problems for Rivers State,” Cole explained.
He added that the political crisis was not what the people of Rivers State desired; residents had expected better governance and a different approach to leadership.
“So that could not have been the wishes of the people. People looked for something different; they didn’t get it,” he said.
Despite the challenges, the APC chieftain expressed hope that the current political situation could present an opportunity for Rivers State to establish a new system of governance.
Cole said the people of the state have another chance to demand a different political process and elect leaders capable of delivering good governance.
“Now we have an opportunity, and I come back to this – we have an opportunity in Rivers State, and I’m praying this time around that it will work,” he noted.
He called on the people of Rivers State to use the moment to set a new direction in governance and improve the process through which political leaders are elected.
“We have an opportunity in Rivers State to set a different type of governance, a different type of process in electing those who represent us in power. My prayer is that we do it right,” Cole concluded.
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