Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revealed that the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole, once approached him for a political alliance following his disagreement with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Wike recounted that Cole visited him shortly after news of his fallout with Fubara became public. The minister claimed the APC chieftain signaled interest in working with him despite being a known ally of former Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
“Immediately Tonye Cole saw that me and Fubara had issues, he came to my house, we sat at my swimming pool side,” Wike said. “He said he has come so that we can work together. I asked him what about his loyalty to Amaechi, he said he doesn’t care about Amaechi and Amaechi cannot tell him what to do. Imagine such a character.”
Wike further dismissed Cole’s recent remarks about him being “confusing,” stressing that they are not on the same level politically. “I saw the clips one Pastor Tonye Cole said I’m confusing, he should continue to be confused. At my level of politics, we are not on the same level,” Wike added.
The revelation comes amid ongoing political tensions in Rivers State, where Wike and his successor, Fubara, have been locked in a prolonged battle for control of the state’s political structure.
Neither Cole nor Amaechi has publicly responded to Wike’s claims as of the time of filing this report.
