Another Rivers APC chief rejects Cole as consensus aspirant

Insists Ogoni should produce Wike’s successor

All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship hopeful in Rivers State, Mr. Bernard Mikko, yesterday, rejected adoption of Mr. Tonye Cole as consensus aspirant of the party.

Mikko’s rejection came few days after another contender, Magnus Abe, kicked against it. Mikko, who spoke to reporters shortly after procuring the expression of interest and nomination forms in Abuja, also argued that it would be fair and just for Ogoni people to produce the successor to Governor Nyesom Wike after his tenure on May 29.

A former House of Representatives member, Mikko contended that the choice of Cole was in clear breach of rules and procedure. He said: “You know that in politics, before you become an aspirant, you must obtain your nomination forms and the law of building a consensus is clear to the parties that are subject to that consensus.”

On his call for the Ogoni to produce Wike’s successor, he stated: “Old Rivers State had five divisions. Out of these five divisions, one was presumably riverine, which is Bayelsa that has been taken away. Before that time, you had the Ijaw, who were the major ethnic group, then you had the Ikwerre, which was the second, and then the Ogoni people.

“I am from Ogoni and you know that after Odilli tenure between 1999 and 2007, you had Celestine Omehia, an Ikwerre man, who governed the state for six months. You had another Ikwerre man, Rotimi Amaechi; then after him, you now have Nyesom Wike, also from Ikwerre.”

“All these people are from East Senatorial District, Odilli is from the West Senatorial District. So, this time, it is ideal for somebody from the South-East Senatorial District, which is the Ogoni axis.”