VIDEO: APC guber aspirant, Tonye Cole must account for Rivers’ $50m – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike yesterday called out All Progressives Congress Governorship aspirant in the state, Tonye Cole, to account for $50m dollars that belongs to the state.

Wike during a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Port Harcourt on Sunday to celebrate the Supreme Court victory over 17 disputed oil wells between Rivers and Imo states, alleged that Cole was in custody of $50m dollars that was taken out of Rivers State Government account in Access Bank.

Governor Wike further alleged that the money was transferred to Sahara Energy’s account without any due process and contract executed by the company for Rivers State.

Cole is a co-founder of Sahara Energy, an oil and gas and power generation group with headquarters in Lagos.

“No person will succeed in becoming the next governor of the state if the intention is to make the state a personal estate.

“Tonye Cole will have to first answer to what had happened to the $50m his Sahara Energy Company received through the Access Bank from the Rivers State Government when Chibuike Amaechi was governor.

“I am not against anybody aspiring to be governor of the state, but in the case of Mr Cole, he must first give account for the money he received from the Amaechi’s administration,” Wike said.

“Tonye Cole must account for the $50m they took from our account. Whoever knows him should tell him. $50m was taken from Rivers State Access Bank account and transferred to Sahara Energy account. And I asked them what is the job you people did for Rivers State? Can I see the contract paper, did you people loan us money?

“You think you can sell this state. The former governor think that he can bring his business partner, after you have sold all our gas turbines, Olympia hotel, collected our $50m cash.

“People think we will sit here and you will sell our state. Nobody can sell this state. “Nobody can make this state his personal estate. A governor must be somebody who wants to develop this state, not somebody who wants to put the state in his pocket.”