Fubara Will Be Powerless Upon Return as Governor, Says APC’s Tonye Cole
Tonye Cole, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governorship candidate in Rivers State, has said that Governor Siminalayi Fubara will be left with “zero powers” upon his return to office following his suspension by President Bola Tinubu.
Cole expressed concern over what he described as a politically weakened position for the Rivers State governor.
“We cannot be in a situation where an elected governor of a critical state like Rivers has zero powers. It doesn’t bode well at all — not just for the state but for Nigeria as a whole,” Cole said.
He argued that Fubara, upon resumption, would be unable to make meaningful decisions without interference, suggesting that the political arrangement in Rivers had rendered the governor ineffective.
“It’s extremely difficult, and I think the governor will find himself in a very tight corner,” he said. “In Nigeria, outgoing governors often hand over to someone they believe will carry on their agenda. But where the successor is allowed to govern independently, things tend to progress. When that doesn’t happen, we usually see these godfather-godson conflicts, which never end well.”
According to Cole, such political infighting often results in the suffering of the people, and he warned that the current scenario in Rivers could follow a similar trajectory.
“As we await what will unfold from tomorrow, the one thing that’s certain is that the governor is not in a position to make decisions freely,” he added.
Cole urged Fubara to seek a compromise with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike — widely regarded as the political powerbroker behind the scenes in Rivers.
“If I were in his shoes, I would sit down with the Honourable Minister and negotiate some space — some leeway — to allow me to function effectively as governor. We don’t know the specifics of the peace agreement between them, so we can’t determine the limits of his current powers,” Cole said.