Tonye Patrick Cole, an Oxford University Fellow, is the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State. In this interview with BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, Cole spoke on his desire to govern the state; why his party was not on the ballot in 2019, and the allegations of defrauding Rivers State with the former governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and other issues. Excerpts:
You are going to be on the ballot for the second time as a governorship candidate in Rivers State. Can you review why you lost in your first contest due to the fact that you were excluded?
It is important to clarify that I did not lose that election. I did not have the opportunity to contest the election as my party, APC, was prevented from presenting any candidate for any elective office in Rivers State in 2019.
Why do you want to govern Rivers State? What exactly are you bringing to the table should you emerge as the governor?
The reason why I want to govern is simply to bring into reality a government that listens, truly cares, and acts in the best interest of its people. Impunity has taken a heavy toll on the state, and no one is being held accountable for how the resources of the state are utilized. People are tired of the government they have and are desperately in need of something different. One of the saddest experiences I have is discovering that the people and their welfare is not the priority of many governments. I spent several years trying to influence politics and government from the outside with the hope of improving the lives of the governed. However, I came to discover you cannot change what you are not actively involved in, and if I truly want a government that has the welfare of the people at heart, I need to be an integral part of such a government. The people want authentic leadership and I intend to give them what they desire.
The contest looks like it is going to be a straight fight between you and the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Siminialayi Fubara. He seems to have public administration experience having been Commissioner of Finance in the state. What experience are you bringing to the table?
I am grateful that life has taught us that a person can spend his or her entire life within public administration, yet be a bad administrator of public resources, while others can gain wide experience from outside and be excellent administrators of men and resources. I have been honoured in life to lead great men and women to the building of institutions from humble beginnings to global prominence. This is evident in the business where I co-founded and built one of Nigeria’s best-known energy brands; The Sahara Group and in humanitarian work in which I was involved, at the highest levels of strategy and implementation at United Nations SDG-F’s Private Sector Advisory Group. The result of this was wider acceptability of private sector acceptance of the SDGs as a working tool within corporations. I also interfaced on public and private sector activities against corruption at the World Economic Council’s Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.
These discovered solutions such as designing corruption out of systems that enabled countries like Chile to dramatically reduce corrupt practices in the country.
I have also been blessed to have attended Nigeria’s foremost policy and strategy think tank, the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, which is why I am an ‘mni’ with all the distinctions therein.
Furthermore, I am a Transformational Leadership Fellow from Oxford University, having completed my fellowship at the prestigious Blavatnik School of Government. I am also grateful to be firmly grounded spiritually, having led Team Nehemiah in RCCG. It was our duty to restore order and dignity to the Redemption Camp by ensuring the dreaded Lagos-Ibadan Expressway traffic jam, associated with the monthly Holy Ghost Services, ended. We succeeded in bringing respite to thousands of Nigerians that ply one of Nigeria’s busiest motorways monthly. So all this would be put out there for the people of the state to see.
“PDP is doing everything it possibly can to get a repeat of 2019 where APC was not on the ballot. It will not happen and both parties will test their popularity at the polls in 2023. Thankfully INEC has greatly improved the electoral process which has eliminated rigging at state levels”
What do you have to say on the allegation that you assisted the former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi to defraud the state?
There is no truth whatsoever in that statement. To any discerning person, it is clear these allegations are purely politically motivated and driven by fear of my candidacy. That a corporate body enters a legitimate transaction with a state government, but you singled me out as an individual to be persecuted should tell the story of intended judicial harassment. I have repeatedly stated that the transaction in question is in the public domain, and the Freedom of Information Act permits you access to all the transaction documents.
The fact of the matter remains that the state was paid in full, directly into Rivers State Government dedicated accounts and receipts issued by the state government for every money collected. However, this case does not intend to prove what is already known but it hopes to manufacture a conviction with the aim of disqualifying my candidacy. Fortunately, justice may be blind, but it is not foolish nor a pawn to be used indiscriminately.
With your party, APC what would be your campaign strength given the fact that there seems to be no solid reconciliation yet among party chieftains?
Rivers APC is stronger and more formidable than people know. It is well positioned to win the Rivers State gubernatorial and assembly seats in 2023 and that knowledge is why the opposition, PDP, is doing everything it possibly can to get a repeat of 2019 when APC was not on the ballot. It will not happen and both parties will test their popularity at the polls in 2023. Thankfully INEC has greatly improved the electoral process which has eliminated rigging at state levels. Now the election is in the hands of the voters at the polling units so I am really looking forward to 2023 when voters would speak their minds on the candidature of Tonye Patrick Cole and Sim Fubara.
You were at the Special National Convention of your party, what do make of that Convention and the outcome?
The Special National Convention was conducted in the spirit of openness and fairness. The atmosphere was orderly and there was no threat or intimidation or violence, which goes a long way to showcase how we have progressed as a nation politically. The outcome that saw the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the candidate was also indicative of the validity and transparency of the process. It was not an emotional process but once all the horse-trading and negotiations were over, it was naturally left to whoever would win the most delegates’ votes on the day. That person happened to be Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and he was declared the winner, whereupon all other aspirants congratulated him for a well-fought race.
How best do you think the lingering crisis in Rivers State APC can be resolved?
There is no crisis within Rivers State APC. The Supreme Court eventually passed judgment on the very same case that was used to remove us from the ballot in 2019 and gave us victory. This time around, they looked at the substantive case and not the technicalities.
What would be your priority as a governor?
The people will be my priority. Mine would be a people-centered government. Poverty has ravaged Rivers State, youth unemployment is at its highest. Cultism is rampant amongst our youth, and civil servants are deeply worried about their pensions being paid. The dignity of the Rivers citizens must be restored. There is a desperate need to reconnect the people to the government, and the government to the people.
Impunity must end and rule of law must be upheld to restore the economy of the state. Rivers State lost its dignified position to Lagos as a preferred destination for investments and where the Nigerian youth look to for a sure future. It is imperative that we restore the dignity of the Rivers man and woman.
Dispassionately, who would be your preferred candidate for the presidential election and why?
The presidential candidate of APC is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Every member of APC must work to deliver the presidency for the party.
If you were to rate your party in the last seven years, what would be your rating?
For a young party that came together as a coalition seven years ago, the party has done well to survive and remain one of the formidable forces shaping Nigeria’s democracy. There is much work to be done and those of us who are set to enter office in 2023 would have the opportunity to do a lot more for the people of this
great nation.
