APC Chieftain defines his relationship with president-elect Tinubu

Tonye Cole, the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has described his relationship with Bola Tinubu, the president-elect.

The businessman made the comment when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily on Monday, March 27.

He was debunking rife rumors that he had a fractured relationship with the Tinubu and that led to the failure of the then-presidential candidate not to visit him during his campaign visit to the state.

Recall that Tinubu visited Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

"I know the presidential candidate, he is someone I have known for a very long time. I have known him before politics and when he joined politics, I continued to relate with him at a friendly level so I have never had a problem congratulating him, not to talk of associating with him, he said.

Meanwhile, Cole has said that the March 18 election was shrouded with voter intimidation and rigging.

He noted in the same interview that the dominance of voter suppression allegedly piloted by the PDP had affected the turnout of voters in Rivers.

He also stated that voters were scourged and threatened to forcefully vote for PDP, adding that government officials and security personnel made the commandeering of ballot boxes in various polling units possible.

“There was a build-up of intimidation, voters were intimidated. They were told not to come out, whips were bought, people were whipped. Town criers went into communities, saying that nobody should come out,” he said.

“[They said] if they came out, they will be dealt with. Voter intimidation was very heavy, so that brought down the number of people coming out to vote because they were scared.