Magnus Abe: ‘I won’t leave APC; I’m biggest investment in Amaechi’s politics’

Posted by Factnews | 7 years ago | 2,137 times



The Senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Abe, has declared that the perceived challenges that cropped up because of his decision to contest the 2019 governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), would not make him defect from the party as being rumored by some persons.

Speaking when he paid a thank you visit to Gokana Local Government Area, as part of his efforts to commend the people of Rivers South East Senatorial District for returning him in the re-run election held on Dec. 10, Abe said he was the biggest investment in the politics of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in Nigeria and there was nothing that would make him to leave the party.

 Senator Abe who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) stated: “We are trying to make the party better by supporting our leader, the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, so that the party can move forward and will not relent in our efforts and by the grace of the Almighty God that we serve; the right thing will be done.

“Let me use the opportunity of this visit to address some issues in our great party, the APC in Rivers State and to say clearly for the record that there are no members of the party, including myself, that is disputing the leadership of my friend, the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We are not disputing with him who is the leader of the party. He is the leader and will continue to be the leader of our party in Rivers State,” he said.

Speaking further, Senator Abe said that it was not true that his ambition to become governor of the state created the division being experienced by the APC in the state.

He stated: “I stand in front of my people, here today, and declare that I don’t tell lies. I am not a liar. The story that I am scattering the party in the state because of my governorship ambition is not true. The problem is simple. We have heard some people saying all elected members of the party got their tickets because Amaechi endorsed them, therefore, everyone who has an ambition should wait until he endorses him or her.

 “The arguments some people are putting forward are that any person who would not wait for the leader (Amaechi) to endorse him or select him or her, to anoint him, or her, or who is saying something different is a bad person or a bad member of the party; the person should be removed or suspended from the party or should leave the party on his own volition. Some of us who feel that stopping some persons from aspiring to become what they want to become is an infringement on their fundamental human rights are saying no.

 “Yes. We agree that it was the leader who gave us tickets and that the leader has always pointed to people and such persons have gone to contest elections, but we also know that politics is dynamic and that our APC offers change. How do we convince the people of Rivers State that we, too, can change?

 “It is not that the leader will not have a say in the selection of candidates vying for election under the auspices of the party, but some people felt the party should allow interested members and aspirants to make their inputs. And some members turned that position to be a move against the leader of the party. And that anyone who says anything contrary to anything said by the leader of the party is anti-party or worse still, fighting Rotimi Amaechi. For me, I think that position is wrong. It is undemocratic and totally against the change mantra of the APC,” he said.

 Senator Abe continued: “I am the biggest investment in the politics of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in Nigeria. And I stand to say that I am not leaving the APC. APC is my party.”

On the resolve of the people of Ogoni to produce the governor of Rivers State in 2019, having been denied the opportunity in the past 50 years that the state was created, Senator Abe insisted that it was time for the Ogonis to produce the next governor of the state.

 “Today, I don’t have to apologise for being an Ogoni son. I love my country, Nigeria. I am a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I support my country, but if I was not from here, Ogoni, I will not be a Nigerian.

“It has been 50 years since Rivers State was created and nobody of Ogoni extraction has been governor, deputy governor or Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. And some are saying that it doesn’t matter. I stand here today, to tell Rivers people that it, indeed, matters and we have no apologies to offer to anybody.

“I hear that the PDP caucus in Ogoni has endorsed Governor Nyesom Wike that is their opinion. I also hear that the APC caucus has said that they have an opinion on the governor’s position, too. But the people of Ogoni also have their opinion and that opinion is that there must be justice in Rivers State.

“So, today, I want to use this opportunity to thank everybody. I don’t have problem with anybody. And anybody who knows me knows that I have reached a level, and even before I got to this level I could look anyone in the eyes and tell them the truth. At this stage of my life, I do not have to lie to anyone, or my people to achieve anything. Truth must remain the standard by which our actions are judged.

” The former Secretary to Rivers State Government had earlier thanked the people of Gokana for the role they played in his return to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, saying it was time to allow the people of the Senatorial District to focus on the democratic process so that they could collectively enjoy the dividends of democracy.


 


Source: Dailytimes

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