The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has formerly welcomed Senator Magnus Abe and his numerous supporters across the 23 LGAs in Rivers State to the APC in Rivers State.
Senator Abe, who was the former Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 Governorship Election in Rivers State, was formally received at the state secretariat in Port Harcourt on Thursday by leadership of the party.
Recall that Abe dumped the APC for the SDP to cliche the Governorship party ticket in July, 2022
Speaking shortly after the event, the Caretaker Committee Chairman and leader of the party in the state, Chief Tony Okocha said Abe was not a Grey Horn in the politics of Rivers State.
Okocha in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Amb. Vincent Gbosi on Friday, stated that Senator Abe, having contested for the office of the Governor with structures across the 23 local government areas of the state, cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand, adding that he is not a pushover.
Okacha said, “It is important to state clearly in line with the position of Sir (Chief) Tony C. Okocha, the Leader/Chairman of the APC in Rivers State, that Senator Magnus Ngei Abe is not a Grey Horn in the politics of Rivers State.
“Haven attempted the gubernatorial election in the just concluded governorship election in Rivers State in 2023, Senator Magnus Abe has structures in the 23 LGAs in Rivers State, and somebody like that who have structures cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand.
“Senator Magnus Abe is not a Pushover or a Bystander. No! Senator Magnus Abe is Great!”
Chief Okocha described Abe as a diligent and determined politician who focuses on his goals until they are actualised, adding that the ex-SDP governorship candidate is also an astute supporter of President Bola Tinubu.
“He has the capacity to exude intellectual confidence, and of course that is key too. It is crucial in this game called politics. If he believes in a thing, he goes out to fight for it, no matter what happens or comes out of it, he follows it to the end.
“A typical example is his foray into the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He may not have won but to say that in the 23 LGAs in Rivers State, that there are no adherents of Sen. Magnus Abe, that is a very big fat lie.
“He was largely at the centre of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s structure in Rivers State. At a point at the national level, he was a member of the 11 Wise men – the innermost caucus of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his ambition to be President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He was also the Chairman of one of the Sub-Committees that mid wifed the National Convention.
“Abe has the ability to persuade people to believe in him. He’s a dogged fighter and not a new man in politics. He knows what it is, and has told his supporters in all the 23 LGAs to collapse his structures and work with the Rivers APC under the leadership of Sir (Chief) Tony C. Okocha, the Leader/Chairman of the CTC of the APC in Rivers State.”
Okocha recalled a recent convened by Abe in the state capital, where he agreed alongside his teeming supporters to work with the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as well as to continue to support President Bola Tinubu in his efforts to better the lots of Nigerians.
“Just recently, precisely on 15th May, 2024, the leadership of Senator Magnus Abe’s political group across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, rose from an extraordinary leadership meeting in Port Harcourt, with a strong resolution agreeing with the position of Senator Magnus Abe to work with the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)Minister, Nyesom Wike, and continue to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his effort to better the lots of Nigerians.”