Former All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has said Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s emergence was controversial from the outset.

Cole urged political actors to use the current situation to chart a new course for governance in the state.

He stated this on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

He commented on Fubara’s reconciliation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the political developments in Rivers State.

The APC chieftain said he believed Fubara must have consulted with his associates before deciding to reconcile with Wike in order to complete his tenure without further political distractions.

He stated, “My assumption is that the governor would have gone with his own close allies, discussed with them, and said that this is the best way, that he has to move forward for the next six months or thereabouts of his administration. I would assume that’s what he did.

“But I am not in his chamber, so I wouldn’t know. But that’s what I would assume he would do.”

Cole said that having chosen to remain in office after the political crisis, the governor now has a responsibility to focus on governance rather than prolonging the conflict.

“But the battle that was fought? Now, what do you do? Do you walk away? If he was going to walk away then, he should not have come back as governor.

“But having taken the responsibility to come and finish his term, then he has to finish it in the way that allows him to govern. He can’t go back into fighting.”

He argued that Fubara’s path to office had been disputed from the beginning, adding that the prolonged face-off between the governor and his predecessor had negatively affected the state.

He said, “First of all, the method with which he came into power in the first instance was contentious. Throughout the period when he was there, the contention between himself and his predecessor had a lot of problems for River State.

“So that could not have been the wishes of the people. People looked for something different; they didn’t get it.”

Cole, however, expressed hope that the current political climate presents an opportunity for Rivers State to embrace a new style of leadership and a more transparent electoral process.

“Now we have an opportunity, and I come back to this – we have an opportunity in Rivers State, and I’m praying this time around that it will work.

“We have an opportunity in Rivers State to set a different type of governance, a different type of process in electing those who represent us in power. My prayer is that we do it right,” he said.

Fubara and Wike have been locked in a prolonged political feud since shortly after the governor assumed office in May 2023.

The crisis split the Rivers State House of Assembly, disrupted governance and led to a series of legal and political battles over control of the state’s political structure.

In March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending Governor Fubara, his deputy and members of the House of Assembly for six months, while appointing a sole administrator to oversee the state.

The emergency rule was lifted after the suspension elapsed, with Fubara returning to office following a reconciliation brokered by the President between him and Wike.

Since his return, the governor has resumed official duties and pledged to work with all stakeholders to restore stability and focus on governance, although political observers say tensions within the state’s political class remain.

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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress for the 2027 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has said the power to ensure credible elections lies with the Nigerian people, insisting that the Independent National Electoral Commission will only act according to the resolve of the electorate.

Obi spoke with journalists on Friday after attending the burial service of the late Pa Simon Okorie Abaa, father of the NDC senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Chief Linus Okorie, at Isiama Primary School, Onicha Igboeze, in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

He described his relationship with Okorie as longstanding, recalling that they had worked together in the Labour Party before joining the NDC.

“We have worked together before in the Labour Party and now we are in the NDC. That shows we have a close relationship. We are here today to pay our last respects to his late father.

“I pray that God Almighty, who gave Papa a long life and has now called him home, will grant him eternal rest and give the family and all of us the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss. May God continue to bless the family,” Obi said.

Speaking on preparations for the 2027 general election, Obi said his confidence was not in INEC alone but in Nigerians’ determination to defend their votes.

“It is not about confidence in INEC. Do I still have confidence in the people? Because it is the people that will determine what INEC will do. If the people insist that their votes will count, their votes will count.

“It is for Nigerians to look at what is happening in the country today and ask themselves what the future holds for our children in this enterprise called Nigeria. Are we going to continue in this direction? Anybody talking about changing Nigeria today is making the ultimate sacrifice because we cannot continue like this,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor lamented the worsening economic situation, saying poverty and hunger had reached alarming levels.

“Every day poverty is increasing. Every day hunger is increasing. You don’t even need World Bank reports to know this because you can see it in the villages.

“They are saying that about 70 million Nigerians are facing acute hunger. What are we going to do about it? Are we going to continue like this? No. That is not possible,” he added.

On concerns that opposition supporters may face intimidation and harassment during the elections, Obi said Nigerians were already suffering from economic hardship.

“For me, every Nigerian is already being harassed by hunger. People are being harassed by the worsening situation in the country. Everybody is affected.

“It is time for Nigerians to tell those who are harassing us that enough is enough,” he said.

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Candidates of the 14 political parties participating in the August 15 Osun governorship poll on Thursday signed a peace accord to indicate their commitment to a peaceful poll.

At the event, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, seeking reelection on the platform of the Accord, signed the document, while representatives of the candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji and Dr Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress, signed on their behalf.

John Cardinal Onaiyekan, who delivered the welcome remarks on behalf of the Chairman of the National Peace Committee and former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), said the accord represented another important milestone in the committee’s longstanding efforts to promote dialogue, build trust and ensure that political competition does not become a trigger for violence.

Onaiyekan further said democracy flourishes when political competition is guided by peace, restraint and respect for the rule of law, urging political actors to conduct the remainder of their campaigns with civility and responsibility.

He said, “In the name of the National Peace Committee, I am making my special appeal to all the political party members here present to abide by the spirit and the letter of the accord that you will now sign. This signing of the accord is not just a formality or a ritual; It is supposed to mean something serious, that we take this matter seriously.

“We must also add that apart from the political parties who will be involved in the election, the peaceful outcome of the election process also depends a lot on two other groups of agents.

“First, the INEC, the Independent National Electoral Commission, whose national chairman is here. And in the name of the Peace Committee, I greet you. I congratulate you.

“I assure you of our confidence in you that you will do a good job and actually make sure that the election process is done according to the rules and the electoral laws, faithfully, without partiality. And it is because of that that you will also be party to the signature.”

Addressing the gathering, the chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, said by signing the Peace Accord, the candidates were not only affirming dedication to non-violence and mutual respect but “we are also sending a powerful, unambiguous message to our citizens: that democracy thrives when peace prevails.”

Amupitan called on all political parties, candidates, and supporters to strictly adhere to the letter and spirit of the agreement.

He warned that anyone attempting to disrupt the August 15 governorship election or engage in vote buying would face the full weight of the law.

He said the commission had completed 11 of the 13 activities on its election timetable, with only the end of campaigns on August 13 and election day remaining.

“We will not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force. Insecurity is a direct assault on the sanctity of the ballot,” he said.

The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission would deploy personnel across the state’s 30 local government areas and the Modakeke Area Office, covering 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units.

He said the certified register contained 2,339,233 eligible voters after the Automated Biometric Identification System exercise, adding that 322,822 Permanent Voter Cards, representing 62 per cent of newly registered voters, had been collected.

Amupitan noted that the collection of PVCs at all local government offices had been extended until Friday, July 31, to enable more voters to collect their cards.

Expressing concern over reports of violence and threats in parts of the state, the INEC chairman said the commission had shifted from reactive monitoring to proactive security measures through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

According to him, intelligence-led security operations would be deployed to polling units and collation centres in collaboration with the police and the Armed Forces.

“Any attempt to disrupt the election will be met with the full weight of the law,” he warned.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone XI headquarters, Osogbo, Akinyele Fasuba, who represented the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, assured of security of lives and properties during and after the poll.

He said, “Police have adequate security on the ground to ensure a free, fair, credible and transparent election in Osun State, during, before and after the election.

“The same template used in Ekiti in June 20 that Ekiti people applauded, the same thing will happen in Osun State.

“The IGP said people should not entertain any fear. Policemen have started arriving in Osun State from all over Nigeria.

“And being the leading organisation in internal security, police will be neutral. IGP said I should assure you that we will be neutral. No way that police will be accused of siding one party or the other,” Fasuba said.

Adeleke, speaking at the event, said members of his party were facing harassment from the police, and sought free and fair polls that would meet high standards of transparency.

“We call on the police authorities to emulate other security agencies which have been very professional.

“Police must be impartial like other security agencies. We seek free and fair polls where people’s will should be supreme. Our people will severely resist rigging in all forms.

“Our request is for impartial policing, a fair and just electoral commission and supremacy of voters’ will at the polls,” the governor told the stakeholders, which included politicians, civil society members and top security personnel,” he said.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, commended INEC’s independence and appealed to political actors to reject violence.

“Osun State is greater than the interests of any individual or political party,” the monarch said.

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