Former Rivers State governorship candidate under the All Progressives Congress, Tonye Cole, has raised concerns over what he describes as a “dangerous trend” following the recently concluded local government elections in the state.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Cole criticized the conduct of the elections and warned that deviating from democratic norms and sidelining public sentiment could have serious long-term implications.
“One of the things that we have to be very careful about is that democracy is something that is continuous,” he said. “Now, if we begin to ignore how the people feel, and we ignore the laws and the rules of democracy, and we set our own rules. I think it’s a very dangerous trend.”
Cole acknowledged that while the election process had been completed, it fell short of the standard expected in a democratic system. He argued that the exercise lacked sufficient public engagement and transparency.
“I’ve already spoken about the local government elections. I feel that we could have done it differently. It could have been done better. It could have been done with a much more holistic approach of engaging people and making sure that they understand that this is a process that affects their ultimate well being,” he noted.
Despite his dissatisfaction, Cole urged citizens and stakeholders to look ahead while remaining committed to democratic values. “I don’t agree with the way the elections were done, but it is done; all we have to do is move on to the next one,” he added.
