A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has faulted the reported defection of Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the APC, insisting that the faction which received the governor is not recognised by law.
Cole, who spoke on Arise News on Thursday, expressed concern over the ongoing political crisis in the state, warning that the developments could undermine Nigeria’s democratic norms.
“We have a governor who defected into APC, displayed a card 001 as the leader of APC. Under normal political terms, a governor is the leader of the party in the state. The main issue that Fubara has in the first instance is that the APC that welcomed him is not the APC recognised by law,” he said.
Cole cited a court judgment he claimed invalidated the process by which the current APC factional leadership in Rivers emerged.
“There is a standing judgment that dismissed this entire process under which Tony Okocha stands as APC, which means that everything being done on that leg is illegal in the first instance,” he explained.
He warned that ignoring such rulings while allowing political narratives to continue unchecked could set a dangerous precedent.
Cole said, “Now, everybody has ignored that, pushed that aside and continued to run. It is a dangerous precedent down the road, which means that Governor Fubara, as leader of APC, is not the leader of the APC.”
Clarifying his own position within the party, Cole maintained that the faction to which he belongs remains the only one with legal recognition, regardless of internal or national party endorsements.
“Under the agreement of law and the proper one that stands, the APC that is recognised by law — I don’t care what is happening, whether the national says it is this one or not, the one recognised by law today is the APC under which I stand, of which I am the leader,” he said.
“At the end of the day, true justice and judgment will determine all of this,” he added.