The Guardian Nigeria News16 Feb 2026
2027: COLE2Lead rallies 31,900 emerging leaders on good governance
Cole Tonye Patrick
1
Election
0
Wins
1
Party
Born1 January 1968 (age 58)
StateRivers →
GenderMale
EducationUniversity of Lagos, University of Brasília, Harvard Business School
BirthplaceAbonnema
OccupationPolitician
QualificationFIRST SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE GCSE O' LEVEL B.ES / B.ARCH
Cole Tonye Patrick is a Nigerian politician from Rivers. They have contested 1 election (1 loss) across 1 party, receiving 95K total votes. Most recent: 2023 Gubernatorial Elections as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Political Career
Biography
Patrick Dele-Cole (born 1940) is a Nigerian politician, journalist, historian, and diplomat who in 1976 became the managing director of the Daily Times.
He was also a presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the early 1990s, and was Nigeria's ambassador to Argentina and Brazil.
He is author of the book Modern Traditional Elites in the Politics of Lagos.
He attended the University of Otago, New Zealand, where he earned a first-class honours degree.
He also studied at Cambridge University.
As a managing director of the Daily Times in 1976, he restored the paper's former influence to become one of Africa's largest at that time, and brought in influential journalists, including Dele Giwa and Dr. Stanley Macebuh.
Party Positions
Policy positions from All Progressives Congress (APC)'s manifesto.
Agriculture
Will encourage local farmers to form farm cooperatives, enabling them to pool resources for modern farming equipment, fertiliser, and access priority government agricultural assistance programs (extension services), with tax breaks and credits.
Anti-corruption
Curb reliance on imported goods via luxury taxes, higher tariffs, and processing fees while incentivizing local manufacturing with tax credits/rebates.
Economy & Trade
Reforms the Federal Budgetary Methodology to move away from oil revenue dependence and base spending on projected growth, establishing an inflationary ceiling to optimize fiscal policy without causing excessive inflation.
Education
Introduces a new management system for federally funded primary and secondary schools via Boards of Education, reserving community representation in decision-making.
Energy
Will increase Nigeria’s domestic crude oil production to **2.6 million barrels per day by 2027** and **4 million barrels per day by 2030**, while implementing a Special Enforcement and Monitoring Unit to deter theft, vandalism, and pipeline breaches using drones and aerial surveillance.
Enterprise grant support
Provides tax credits, holidays, and reduced interest rate loans for businesses that hire a specified percentage of youth in their workforce and offer on-the-job training.
Environment & Climate
Will **reduce Nigeria’s gas flaring** by removing it from the top 10 countries with highest flares, aiming to maximize sector benefits while eliminating environmental harm.
Governance & Reform
Commits to amending Nigeria’s governance architecture through constitutional review and collaboration with the National Assembly and State Governments to grant States greater autonomy over critical matters like crime prevention, prisons, stamp duties, and taxation.
Healthcare
Will strengthen primary healthcare infrastructure with incentive schemes, counterpart funding programs, and grassroots preventative care (vaccinations, cancer screening, blood pressure monitoring) in collaboration with state/local governments.
Infrastructure
Launches a National Infrastructure Campaign to modernize national infrastructure by hiring millions of unemployed Nigerians through the fiscal flexibility gained from reforming budgetary methodology.
Reliefs and scholarships
Provides **conditional income support** to very poor households, tied to human capital development goals like high-school attendance, healthcare, and nutrition.
Security & Defense
Enhances compensation, medical care, housing support, scholarships, stipends, and health insurance for military personnel injured in duty and their families.
Technology & Digital
Establishment of an advisory committee to review and reform regulatory frameworks for blockchain technology and virtual asset services.
In The News
THISDAYLIVE26 Jan 2026
Tonye Cole Empowers 230,000 Youths in Rivers Statenigerianeye.com6 Dec 2025
FCT Minister Wike Faces N40 Billion Defamation Suit From Tonye ColeDaily Post Nigeria5 Dec 2025
Tonye Cole vs Wike: FCT High Court schedules case for December 9TheNigeriaLawyer7 Nov 2025
“They Stole Our Gas For $308 Million” — Cole Files ₦40.5B Defamation Suit Against Wike Over September 18 Politics Today Remarks On Channels TVShow 10 more articles
the authority news17 Oct 2025
FULL TEXT: Tonye Cole to sue Wike for N20billion over defamatory commentTheNigeriaLawyer16 Oct 2025
“I’m Not A Thief” — Tonye Cole Seeks Public Apology, ₦20bn Compensation From Minister Wike Over Alleged Defamation On Channels TVSahara Reporters16 Oct 2025
Rivers Ex-Governorship Candidate Tonye Cole To File N20billion Suit Against FCT Minister Wike Over “Injurious Comments” On TVTHISDAYLIVE21 Feb 2025
Tonye Cole, Hon. Bello El-Rufai Fulfill N5 Million Scholarship Commitment for UNIABUJA StudentsTheCable5 Apr 2024
Tonye Cole resigns from Sahara Energy to join politicsThe Guardian Nigeria News23 May 2023
Rivers election: APC’s Tonye Cole denies withdrawing petition against PDPTribune Online15 Sept 2022
Don’t be jealous of my wife, she stood by me when I needed her most — Tonye ColeThe Sun Nigeria22 Jan 2022
Energy mogul, Tonye Cole back to schoolStyle Rave24 Jan 2019
Tonye Cole: The Case Of A Nigerian Business Tycoon Turning To Public ServiceThe Whistler Newspaper9 Nov 2018
Tonye Cole Group Faults Wike's Directive On IDPs CampsFollow the 2027 race
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