Amaechi, Tonye Cole actively worked against Tinubu, says Wike

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, has alleged that Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, worked against the presidential bid of Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the presidential election held on February 25 and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued him a certificate of return.

Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers, is a member of the APC. He contested the party’s presidential primary in June 2022 but lost to Tinubu.

The former minister of transportation was not actively involved in the campaign trail of Tinubu despite being a member of the council.

Speaking on Thursday during a broadcast in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers, Wike said Amaechi and Tonye Cole, APC governorship candidate in the state, “actively” worked against the election of Tinubu.

“Rotimi Amaechi and his protégé, Tonye Cole, actively opposed the demand for power shift to the south and worked against their party’s presidential candidate in Rivers state,” Wike said.

“When the president-elect (Tinubu) emerged as the winner, Tonye Cole rushed to congratulate him on his Instagram handle but deleted the post when he was criticised.”

The Rivers governor said the G5 — a group of five governors in the PDP — has been “vindicated” for backing a power shift to the south.

“For us in the G-5, the presidential election was about fairness, equity, and justice. Our commitment was for a presidential power shift from the north, where it has been for the last eight years, to southern Nigeria,” he said.

“Thankfully, Nigerians have vindicated our stand, and we appreciate the electoral majority for strengthening the nation’s unity with their choice.”