Tonye Cole, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 Rivers governorship election, has said that the ongoing political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, is stalling development in the state, leaving the people as the real losers.

In an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television, Cole remarked that the political wrangling has created stagnation in Rivers.

“As it stands right now, the people of Rivers do not matter in the equation that is being played out,” he said.

“If the interests of Rivers people were on the table, we would not even be where we are today. This entire fight is political, and it has to do with a very small political family. As we speak today, there is no development. The political battle is affecting the poor man on the street.”

Cole’s comments followed the Court of Appeal’s ruling upholding the Federal High Court’s decision to void the presentation and passage of Rivers State’s 2024 budget.

According to Cole, Governor Fubara is in a delicate political situation.

“The governor finds himself in a very precarious political situation,” he explained.

“By presenting the budget back to that assembly, it means the assembly led by Martins Amaewhule is recognised as the legal assembly. Once that happens, he has to now navigate a possible impeachment issue.”

Cole also highlighted the state’s political complexity, saying, “We have a state where the governor is PDP, the house of assembly based on the court case is APC, and you have a local government structure that is APP. So, you have three different parties running the state.”