Elections in crisis?
Tonye Cole, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has strongly criticized the planned local government elections set for August 30. Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show, Cole said holding elections under the current political climate sends “the wrong signal” for democracy in Nigeria.
“It’s everything wrong with democracy”
Cole questioned the legitimacy of conducting elections while the state is operating under what he described as a de facto “state of emergency” led by a Sole Administrator.
“If you have suspended all the democratic institutions, then let’s know we have suspended them… You cannot be having elections under that cover,” he said.
Claims of political power grab
Cole alleged that the rushed election appears to be a move to take control of the state’s local government structures, similar to tactics previously criticized.
“What are we trying to capture, and for whom is this being captured?” he asked. “It just sends the wrong signal.”
A warning for the rest of Nigeria
He warned that Rivers State is setting a “very dangerous precedent” that could weaken democratic processes across the country.
“If we want to do democracy, let’s do democracy properly,” Cole emphasized. “But where there’s this sense of impunity… I don’t think that’s right.”
