Former representative of Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, has dumped the All Progressive Congress in Rivers State.
Abe, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Parry Benson, on Wednesday afternoon, however, pledged his continued support to the presidential bid of APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The statement quoted Abe to have said, “I have since left the APC in Rivers State, I am still part of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s family and has no issue with him whatsoever.”
The statement by Benson came on today heels of sundry media reports about Abe dumping the APC and blaming Tinubu for not consummating negotiations on his governorship.
Read a version of the report as published in The Source magazine hereunder:
● Rivers: Abe dumps APC, blames Tinubu
All Progressives Congress, APC, top shot in Rivers state, Senator Magnus Abe has reportedly resigned from the party.
With his resignation, the gale of resignations in the party has worsened, as close watchers of the party insist that more chieftains are still likely to leave over the factionalisation of the party.
Abe and immediate past Minister of Transportation and former Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, have been struggling for the control of the soul of the party in the oil-bearing state.
Abe’s ally, Golden Ben Chioma, a former factional APC chairman and former Majority Leader in the state House of Assembly, had earlier, in May this year, dumped the party, saying he had lost interest in its activities.
Ben Chioma’s action, some had predicted at the time would set a tone for Abe’s eventual departure after struggling for years to seize control of the party from Amaechi, who seemed more entrenched in the party and now close to APC’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Amaechi had last month directed his supporters to support Tinubu to win next year’s presidential election, urging them to ignore the fact that he lost the ticket to the former Lagos Governor at the last APC shadow presidential election in Abuja.
Amaechi’s ingratiation with Tinubu and recent happenings in the party were said to have angered Abe who felt his future in the party was no longer secure, following suggestion that Tinubu was now working with Ameachi instead of him to actualise his presidential bid.
According to a letter he sent to Abdullahi Adamu, APC National Chairman, Abe said “Tinubu has refused to negotiate with him on his resolve to become the governor of the state.”
He cited the “seeming unwillingness to negotiate with me since he expects me to remain in the APC.”
Senator Abe said: “I wish to tender my resignation of membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
”My decision to quit is not unconnected with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s seeming unwillingness to negotiate with me since he expects me to remain in the APC. Hence my resolve to seek alternative platform to actualize my Gubernatorial Ambition in Rivers State.
“I feel feel it is time to move on with my Ambition, having served this country as Lawmaker in the Rivers State House of Assembly, SSG of Rivers State, and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
” Let me also use this moment to thank my teeming supporters, and some of those that defected from the APC, for standing by me in all these years, more importantly H.E Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
” In the coming days, I shall tell Nigerians my next political decision.”
Meanwhile, the magazine learnt that Abe, a former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, will either cross to Labour Party or PDP, depending on his negotiation with Governor Nyesom Wike, who many say has been working with Abe since he became governor.
Amaechi, Wike and Abe served in the administration Sir Peter Odili, a former governor of the state.
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