Tonye Cole, APC Vow To Sue Governor
Wike Others For Libel For False Accusations
APC Mocks PDP For Not Allegedly
Concocting Results Like Previous Elections
Hopeful That INEC Will Put APC On The
Ballot For Next Elections
Daniel Efe/Port Harcourt
Tonye Dele Cole, the Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, has threatened to sue the Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike and others who have falsely accused him, Prof Charles Dokubo-Quakers, and Prince Tonye Princewill and other chieftains of the party for being masterminds of deaths in Abonnema in Akuku-Toru local government area of the state.
Governor Wike had in broadcast accused Chieftains of the APC in alleged collusion with the Army drawn from the 6 Division of masterminding the killings in Abonnema in Kalabari kingdom.
APC Governorship candidate, flanked by top party members stated
that malicious and unfounded allegations are being investigated and his lawyers
will be advise on possible libel suits to take against those who have peddled
the wicked falsehoods.
Mr. Cole who addressed a cross session of the Journalists in Port Harcourt today, (Wednesday February 27), stated that Nigerians in their vast numbers were shocked to learn of militant kingpins that were rewarded for their role in the 2015 elections with positions in the State House of Assembly, Local Government Councils and State Government appointments by the Rivers State Government. This is common knowledge and the names of these individuals are known to many.
He alleged that In Akuku Toru in particular,  intelligence reaching the party indicated there was  strict directives which had been issued to the Chairman not to permit APC from delivering the Local Government of its gubernatorial candidate and in particular, his polling unit and Ward 12.
He warned that “Gone are the days when political thugs would
hijack electoral materials and allocate hundreds of thousands of imaginary
votes to PDP. The results from the various units, wards and Local Government
Areas confirms this and further highlights the depth of rigging and
manipulation of the 2015 elections that APC as a party had complained
about.”
Cole, while congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari for his
re-election, expressed profound and sincere condolences to the families who
lost loved ones last weekend. In particular, is the family of Miss Ibisaki
Amachree who was shot while on duty, stating one death is one too many and no
one has the right to kill in the name of power and politics. He assured that
the families of those who died this weekend, the Federal Government will
seek justice for them, no matter how long it takes.
He pointed out what is required of anyone desirous of the truth is
to compare the 2015 electoral figures where total votes cast was 1,584,768 with
APC getting 69,238 while PDP got 1,487,075; to that of 2019 where total votes
cast was 666,585 with APC getting 150,710 (even after 72,000 votes in Emohua
was unconstitutionally removed) and PDP getting 473,971 and the story would
clearly unfold.
On the crisis in APC various court cases against it, Cole said the
party has withstood a judicial lynching that has long since baffled legal
luminaries of how the Justices Nworgu, Yahaya and Omotosho’s judgements came
about. That PDP would interfere with another party’s internal process in a
court of law and secure a judgement that prevents their major competitor from
campaigning in any form or manner, barring any of their candidates from being
on the ballot is mind-boggling.
Our party also had to contend with numerous court battles, a
brutal internal conflict with Senator Magnus Abe that disenfranchised members
of the party, many of whom have now openly decamped to the PDP, multiple
attacks on the party at campaign rallies of the opposition and severe attempts
to break the spirit of the party faithful. It was indeed a resounding success
to see the turnout of APC voters across the state.
This was in spite of an INEC body that was swift to obeying the
PDP sponsored judgement but resolute in its decision not to obey an order of
Stay of Execution. Our concerns were further affirmed by Rivers State’s INEC’s
refusal to include the over 72,000 votes in favour of the APC from Emohua LGA
after being duly collated and announced by the LGA collation officer whose duty
it is to so do in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
It therefore means that the Rivers State office of INEC cannot be
said to be truly independent as it had no hesitation in allowing the result of
Khana, Andoni and other Local Government Areas in favour of the PDP.
“In the wake of INEC not affirming the relisting of our
candidates, we had promised the people of Rivers State that APC will closely
follow every ballot box, every vote cast and every result declared to its final
conclusion. We affirmed not to allow the votes of the citizens to be stolen and
to ensure the results will be as close to reality as is humanly possible. That
was the mandate we gave to our people and that is the mandate we delivered.
“That in the midst of such heavy intimidation and array of
forces squarely aimed at destroying the Rivers APC, in an election where we had
no candidates, APC faithful still turned out with well over 200,000 votes,
while the PDP unencumbered by money, full array of candidates, robust campaigns
and incumbency power was strictly restricted to the unpleasant reality of
recording just over 450,000 votes, the lowest tally of votes they have ever
recorded.”
.
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On the next set of elections, he urged party members, supporters
and Rivers people to remain calm and peaceful and confident that INEC would now
do the right and proper thing by restoring all our candidates, including those
for the National Assembly, back on the ballot.
