Only court can disqualify Cole, Amaechi declares

Former Rivers State Governor and immediate past Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, has said only court can sack the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate of the state, Tonye Cole.

Amaechi, who was reacting to questions from newsmen in Port Harcourt at the weekend during a reception after the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential election, stressed that until a competent court of jurisdiction indicts Cole of alleged involvement in the illegal procurement of state assets, nobody could disqualify the party guber candidate of the state.

He added that asset sales were done transparently, noting that every deal passed the Public Procurement Agency.

“Everything that was done was done transparently. There is an agency called Public Procurement Agency and all those things passed through the agency.

“One of the grounds, which they are saying is that Tonye is in court on an allegation of embezzling N96 billion.  Until he is indicted by a court before you can disqualify him and only a court can disqualify him.

“The strategy of the other party is to build fear in our supporters and our dear voters in Rivers State, that his name will not be on the ballot and that they should not waste their time. We are not God and court, we believe that the court will look at all the cases dispassionately.”

Ameachi, however, revealed he was back to the state to motivate candidates and settle grievances in the party, noting that the grievances are not fallout from governorship primaries but minor issues that would be resolved in weeks.

He said: “Anytime we have a transition, we are bound to have disagreement.

“In the next few weeks, we will be able to resolve the issues. These issues are not about the governorship candidate, we have passed that stage. I think nobody is aggrieved about the governorship candidate.”