- Rivers 2027: ‘I Will Not Step Down for Anyone, Including Fubara’ – Tonye Cole
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Rivers APC leadership tussle raises questions over party structure
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Kano APC insists all aspirants must contest primaries
Former All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has said he will not step down for any aspirant within the party, insisting that he is prepared to contest the 2027 governorship primary on merit.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Cole made the position clear amid ongoing debates within the APC over whether sitting governors who defect into the party should be granted automatic tickets ahead of primary elections.
The businessman turned politician dismissed the idea of handing the party’s ticket to any aspirant without a contest, stressing his commitment to internal democracy.
“I am prepared and committed to participating in the party’s primary, rejecting the idea of an automatic ticket for any aspirant,” Cole said.
He added that his ambition is to secure the party’s mandate through a transparent process that reflects the will of APC members in Rivers State.
Cole also commented on the political realignment in the state following the defection of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the APC. He argued that the governor had not fully integrated into what he described as the appropriate structure of the party in Rivers State.
“Everybody knows that Tony Okocha is Wike’s faction of the APC. It is not hidden; he owns the structure, and Okocha follows Wike all over the place,” Cole said.
He questioned whether that faction was aligned with the party’s national leadership, adding that the issue required urgent clarification.
“Has that group agreed with the President? That needs to be addressed quickly,” he stated.
On calls for him to step down, Cole said the circumstances within the Rivers APC did not justify such demands.
“In Rivers State, I don’t think the governor has crossed over to the right part of the party. So, there is still controversy there. If you are asking me to step down, on what basis?” he said.
Meanwhile, the APC in Kano State has echoed a similar position. The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ahmed Aruwa, said there was no provision for automatic tickets in the APC, insisting that all aspirants must contest the primaries.
“There is no provision for automatic tickets in the APC. Every aspirant, including sitting governors who defect into the party, must participate in the primaries,” Aruwa said.
