The Governorship aspiration of Nyesom Wike, may have taken another dimension, following the emergence of a seasoned business mogul, Tonye Cole, as his (Wike’s) most likely rival during the Rivers State governorship election scheduled for 2019.
A close associate of Wike, who spoke to Africa Update, on conditions of anonymity said, he (Wike) was reportedly, expecting to go against known politicians in the likes of the Director General, NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015, or other APC members from the riverine extraction, such as the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, NPA, Sokonte Davies, Former member of the House of Representatives, Dawari George, former Commissioner for Transport and current Chairman, APC Contact and Mobilization Committee, Beks Dagogo Jack and business mogul, Dumo Lulu Briggs.
The decision by the leader of APC South South and Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, to support Cole, according to our source, sent shock waves into the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The source stated that Cole, who is an internationally acclaimed Billionaire and son of a former Managing Director of Daily Times Newspaper and former Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil, Pa Patrick Dele Cole, is a tough nut for Wike and his team to crack.
Africa Update was hinted of an alternative plan by the PDP to field a riverine governorship candidate in order to divide the votes from the riverine, while Wike allegedly picks the Vice Presidential slot, to team up with his Northern ally who recently defected from the APC.
This move, the source alleged, is to save the PDP and Wike, any embarrassment in the face of a possible defeat.
Despite being an unconfirmed claim, strong indications have emerged to give some credence to the veracity of the source.
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