The senator representing Rivers South East, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe had warned leadership of All Progressive Congress-APC in Rivers to stop any plans of tampering with state delegates list coming out from the local Government Congress of APC. Those to be elected from the local Government Areas as State delegates of APC will be the ones who will cast their votes to elect the Governorship standard Bearer of APC while those to be elected at the State Congress will be representatives of Rivers state APC at the national Congress of the party already slated to take place on May 14th, 2018.
During the opening of his 2019 Governorship Electioneering Campaign Liaison Office Senator Magnus Abe told his teeming supporters that “ I will tell you a very good story about this building we are opening here today as our Liaison Office here in Port Harcourt. When I was looking for a liaison office one of my friends and my brother here I don’t want to call his name offered us his place at Aba Road that we should come and use it as a Liaison Office . We went there and inspected the place and it was very nice and we agreed that we will use it. But my mind told me ‘You are looking for a place where you will do politics from, better call this your brother and ask him if he owns the building or he is renting it, so I called him “Is that you are renting the building or you are the owner. And he said no and I said ‘Go and tell the owner that Senator MAGNUS Abe would like to use his office and he said that there will be no need ‘ but I said tell the owner as I don’t want to stay in a property of anybody who does not believe in what I am doing and who does not know that I am staying in his place because tomorrow when people gather here you say I didn’t know that that is what you wanted to do there. So, he went to the man and the man said no…no he doesn’t want and that he doesn’t want a politician in his house. So, I said fine let us look for a place. So, I came to this place and the first day I came here the person who was in charge of this saw me and he knelt down on the ground and said my governor I have been supporting you all my life that you will be the Governor of this state and I didn’t know that I will see you’ And he said that ‘You will be the Governor of Rivers state and I said this is our Freedom House’ That is why we are here. So, God led us to this place. It is a place with great promise and it is a place with which great things will happen.
I took time to actually write down my thoughts I didn’t want to just be talking. I wanted to be very clear in what I am going to say today. And the most important thing that I wanted to say today is to thank all of you everybody who has come here and everybody who has taken out time to join us here today. Initially we have said that we are going to do this on Saturday (28th, April, 2018) but we changed our minds that we will do it today. And that was barely 72-hours to go. And since that time I didn’t expect that all of us, so many people will make it here today. I want to very humbly from the bottom of my heart thank each and every one of you for finding time to come here. I apologize for the heat and I apologize for all the pains that you have gone through. Let me say that the purpose of this place is the house where ideas can truly be articulated. It is a place where diverse views will be tolerated, where robust debates and the future of our own state and our country can take place, where those visions can be articulated. Nigerian is going through a time of great challenges and also a time of great opportunities. The challenges are there but the opportunities will be taken up by those who can find courage and conviction to take advantage of the present climate of challenge in our country. Our President had declared his intention to seek his second coming back to office. He wants to consolidate on the foundations that this APC Government has laid for the development of our dear nation. The opposition has already embarked an orchestrated smear campaign against the Federal Government. If you listen to the opposition version of Nigeria you will get the intention that nothing positive has been achieved in this country under this Government and that life under PDP was like Eldorado. I want to remind all of us that we turned our back on the PDP Government because after 16years we all agreed that Nigeria and Nigerians can do better. And that is why Nigerians demanded for an alternative. The All Progressive Congress-APC is not just a political party it is the symbol of the fates of Nigerians. It is the political expression of the conviction of Nigerian people that Nigeria can be great to work for the majority of Nigerians, therefore the members of All Progressive Congress, we must do whatever we can. And we must make whatever sacrifices that are necessary to reclaim these ideas and desire of Nigerian people not just to do things differently but to do things better.
The idea of APC is to ensure that the old things do not continue. Our slogan of change has elated this country and President Muhammadu Buhari was the symbol of that hunger for change. Change is always difficult and those who genuinely deserve change must be prepared to fight for change. The only political vehicle in our country that is committed to the ideal of the better future for all Nigerians is the All Progressive Congress-APC. And the only leader in this country today that has put his reputation and his commitments to change is President Buhari.
No-matter the challenges I call on Nigerians to rally behind the President and join the APC . Part of the changes that we desire, we are the ones who can make it happen. Those who are running helter-scatter urging to come back to the vehicles of the past that all Nigerians saw clearly as being incapable of leading us to progress and prosperity are missing the point. Those that are going around to a new vehicle are equally missing the point. But there are options we have shown Nigerians that they have neither the fate nor the resilience to lead this country to success .
Whatever new vehicle they produce now will still be a human vehicle and it will still have human challenges and may face the same storm that APC is facing today. If that happens tomorrow what will they do? Will they jump off and begin to search for another vehicle? Those who genuinely want Nigeria to succeed must stay in the APC and must come together and let us work together to change Nigeria and make it work. Every other effort in another direction is a wasted effort. We gave PDP 16 –uninterrupted years before we agreed that no redemption was possible, In 3-years an APC government has shown great promise… yes there are challenges but there are also verifiable achievements which Nigerians can be proud of, Federal infrastructure projects that are approved but being on the drawing boards for years and today being executed. Here in Rivers state the Bodo-Bonny Road has started and a lot of Nigerians do not even realize that under the previous government several sections of the EAST-WEST ROAD but fully paid for but not executed. Tomorrow when EFCC will invite those to who these funds were paid they will begin to talk about political persecution. But there is no political persecution when the peoples money is in your bank accounts. We must give our president the maximum support he needs to fulfill our expectations and build a better Nigeria. We have put our hands on the plough we cannot go back we can only go forward .
“As we approach the forth coming congresses of our party and National convention of our party all leaders and members of the party are supposed to make some sacrifices that are required to unite the party and defeat our opponents in the forth coming elections. Here in Rivers state we must ensure that our CONGRESSES are peaceful and fair. I have heard all the stories that you have also heard about lists that have been compiled or being put together with the sole objective of flushing out Senator Abe and stifling all voices of dissent within the APC . I Want to use this medium to offer three words of advice to the APC in Rivers state –“Don’t try it”. What did I say? —“’Don’t try it”’ APC ! Magnus For Governor! And I say don’t try it. We have conducted ourselves with decorum, we have shown and we will continue to show great respect to our leaders. This is not our weakness but it is our strength. We must not allow conflicts entrepreneurs or frustrated politicians whose only hope of relevance on economic sustenance is the continued balkanization of our party. Some of them are here and some of them are there. But all of us need to ensure that the congresses are free, fair and credible. Any attempt to hold another fraudster congress in rivers state will break the faith and confidence of Rivers people that we are a party committed to doing what is right. With the confidence of the voting public, the political party becomes the mere social gun. As it will be good for partying and dancing but it will not win elections. It is the mother of the living child that cried out when her child was about to be killed and divided. The true owners of this party must act before it is too late. So, I challenge all members of the APC to go their wards and work with other members of APC without regard to their leaning within the party and prepare for congresses because real congress must hold in Rivers state. Let me now address another issue that has to do with another political future of Rivers State as we are all aware there has been a lot of controversy particularly within the APC family in Rivers state about the Governorship ticket of our great party.
The controversy will continue even after the governorship election. This controversy is based on two issues, one is either the governorship position in our party has been zoned and the second issue is if Senator Magnus Abe can aspire for the governor of our state on the platform of our party. I have made my views on the issue of zoning clear and I will repeat it here for the greater clarity. Zoning is not in the constitution of our party but it is in our Morality. In 2014 leadership of APC in Rivers state agreed that for equity justice and fairness we should give opportunity to produce the next governor of our state to Rivers South East senatorial District. This is done in 2015. The arguments that validated that decision and made it just and equitable in 2015 still subsist today. And as far as I know no meeting of the party has reversed that decision, if we decide not to follow that decision today because it no longer meets our political expediency we may do so but then we must be aware that when we go to Rivers people we must be aware that we will be going to Rivers people with the same Moral baggage as our opponents.
If we argue that continuous stay of Governor NYESOM WIKE in office is unfair and unjust to sections of our state. Our own ticket will be equally unjust if it does not take the continued marginalization of Rivers South East senatorial into consideration. So, as far as I know our governorship ticket remains zoned to the Rivers South East senatorial district. The other issue that I will respond to today is the main issue that has divided the APC in the state. I am glad to say that I have reached a decision which I intend to share with you on the burning question whether Senator Magnus Abe will vie for the Governorship of this state under the APC or not. I have taken every advice and every opinion that I have been offered into consideration. I have also consulted my family and friends and most importantly I have consulted my God. There are so many friends that have advised me against seeking for the office of the Governor just as there are several who have advised me to go for it. Looking back now everyone who had spoken to me did so with the best of intentions based on what they could see and based on what they said was the best for me. Some people asked me not to try it because they feel that it will be difficult for me to get the ticket of our party against stiff opposition from certain leaders within the party.
Some advised me not to try it because even if I get the ticket they feel that I will face a powerful incumbent with a lot of cash but I am happy to report that nobody has advised me not to try it either because they think I am not capable or because they think that I am not qualified or because they think that I will not do a good job. Everybody including those who have advised me not to try it all agreed that I can do a very good job and that I am capable and qualified. Those who have advised me not try it have also done so from the best of intentions because they believe that we have values that we can add to our dear state. And I look around me I think about all of you and I think about all of us and I look at the future and I look at our past I believe that it is important that we take this state to a new direction. I ask Rivers people, every society that prospers that it is about continuity in 1999 Dr. Odili spent close to 8-years talking about power and power and what power can do for the economy of Rivers state today what is the conversation about power? Have we dropped that dream? Do we not realize that 24-hours of uninterrupted electricity in this state a lot of work has been put into it, it is achievable and it can change the economic fortunes of our state. Is anybody talking about it? (Crowd responded)“No!”
The government of Rotimi Amaechi spent time talking about healthcare, talking about education, talking about Mass transportation today these conversations are no longer going on in our state. We all know what mass transportation can do for any major city in the world. Why are we not discussing it for Port Harcourt? If we think that the Mono rail will not work what are the alternatives that we are putting forward? There is no major city in this world without mass transportation and a state like Rivers cannot afford to have a city like Port Harcourt and we are not talking about Mass Transportation, we are not talking about education, we are not having any robust discussion about jobs for our youths, industrialization of our society and economic opportunities for Rivers people. I believe that we can put all these topics back on the table.
Today, the Governor of our state Governor Nyesom Wike has been calling on the Federal Government not to create a situation where free and fair elections will not hold in Rivers state. I am very happy to also join him, appeal to him to also do his own best to create an environment in the state where we can have free and fair elections, where Rivers people can decide their future. We will no longer have the kind of elections we had in 2015 that was more of a blood bath than an election. All of us as leaders not just the federal Government, need to look and put the state first and contribute to an environment where we can have an election in which Rivers people will decide their own future.
Having taken all these into consideration I Magnus Ngei Dumenebari Abe I have decided to seek the nomination of All Progressive Congress of our state APC! (crowd response–Magnus for Governor!) I have decided for the interest of our State and in the interest of the future of our people to seek the nomination of All Progressives Congress in Rivers state to the office of the Governor of Rivers state. In this zone I want to make abundantly clear that there is no gun-shot ambition I realize and accept the availability for other people who are also interested to also offer themselves.
I want to assure the party , assure Rivers people and assure Nigerians that if they do credible and transparent process that picks any candidate other than Senator Abe I will not only support that candidate, I will lead the campaign for that candidate, I will only do that when members of the APC in Rivers state are given opportunity to decide on who they want without intimidation, without oppression, and without undue zest where that is done I wish to assure the party that I am a loyal member of this party and will work with whoever the party puts forward. And I want to also appeal to all of you as you go forward from here, know that FREEDOM HOUSE is here. It is open to all Rivers men and women no-matter your party as long as you know that President Muhammadu Buhari will lead this country in the right direction and finish his tenure peacefully you are welcome to FREEDOM HOUSE as long as you believe that a better Rivers state is possible and you have ideas that can contribute to a better Rivers state you are welcome to FREEDOM HOUSE. As long as you believe that even if your ideas are not acceptable now as it is you can work with others who may have better ideas than you to move this state forward you are welcome to freedom HOUSE. If you are a member of the APC I want to appeal to everybody and I do this with every sincerity in my heart that the ticket of the party will not be useful to anybody if we don’t come together to rally behind whoever gets the ticket . I have indicated my own intention to vie for the ticket others may do so. If they do so, also give them the same attention that you have given to me, but do not support them so that we get the ticket and we will move forward.”
The declaration by Senator Magnus Ngei Abe took many political watchers by surprise as the leadership of the party in Rivers state especially Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had at several occasion told his teeming listeners that he is not in
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