By Precious Mark
Former governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has declared that internal factionalism within the state chapter is over, following a coalition agreement designed to deliver the state for the party and the presidency in 2027.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Cole confirmed that he remains a dedicated member of the APC and has taken up the responsibility of representing the “Legacy APC”—the foundational members who built the party in 2013/2014 but felt sidelined during recent political realignments.
“What I represent is that there’s a legacy APC that was there. Not everybody in that legacy APC left, but they were cut out of the equation because nobody was speaking about them,” Cole explained.
“They had been moved aside and they were feeling that, look, we built a party since 2013, 2014, and here we are, left out, the entire party hijacked.”
The politician noted that he reassured aggrieved party faithful that their years of sacrifice would not be erased by incoming groups.
“Who is going to speak for us? I promised them, I said that wherever I go, I will defend that APC. You cannot be forgotten. And that’s who I represent,” he said.
“APC had insisted that if we’re going to work together, we must make sure that we deliver APC in Rivers State. And I said no problem. I am an institution builder, and I believe in building institutions. In that case, we will represent the legacy APC in Rivers State,” he added.
Addressing the broader electoral strategy for 2027, Cole emphasized that all factions have resolved to work together under a unified structure.
“We no longer have the divisions of APC in Rivers State. As APC now, we have come into a coalition, and that coalition is to deliver APC in Rivers State come 2027, and deliver the president in Rivers State in 2027,” Cole declared.