A major tragedy was recorded by the convoy of Sahara Energy boss and APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, on Friday, November 9, 2018.
His convoy, on their way to Abua/Odual community for a sensitisation programme, was involved in an accident which claimed two lives, injured one seriously and damaged some vehicles and belongings.
DSP Nnamdi Omoni, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, confirmed the tragic incident. In his words: “I can confirm that one of the security vehicles in the convoy of the governorship candidate of the APC, Tonye Cole, was involved in a fatal accident today (yesterday), on their way to Abua/Odual LGA and two persons were confirmed dead and their bodies have been deposited in the morgue.
“But I can assure you that what happened was nothing but an accident, and that it is not in any way premeditated.”
Alleged overspeeding was one of the reasons given. The other was the sudden application of brake. While yet another was the sudden interruption of the convoy, in the course of which the driver of one of the vehicles lost control.
The trip was immediately aborted, and the Police notified. Mr. Cole, who is the son of Dele Cole, a one time MD of Daily Times and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Brazil, has also visited families of the bereaved.
But their burial details were yet to be sorted out as at the time of writing this.
Tonye’s emergence as his party’s standard bearer has been mired in controversy. Endorsed by the strong man of All Progressives Congress in Rivers State and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, another member of the party, Senator Magnus Abe, has been questioning his emergence, which he described as undemocratic. An imposition. And now this bad omen!