The Rivers State political landscape bubbled in the final week of July 2022 as a distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, at last, pitched his tent with the Social Democratic Party-SDP- having resigned his membership of All Progressives' Congress-APC- where he was denied gubernatorial governorship ticket. Earlier, the Ogoni-born politician had kept all his supporters guessing on where and what next will be coming from him as a mounted big Billboard with the inscription “Senator Magnus Abe Will Be On the 2023 Ballot”, urged his teeming supporters to go out and validate their Permanent Voters’ Cards, which will enable them to participate in the 2023 general elections.
In 2019, Senator Magnus Abe, who represented
Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the 8th National Assembly, was a
politician many had seen as a likely Governor in waiting, but the Supreme
Court's judgment, which ruled that Rivers State chapter of the APC should not
be on the 2019 ballot papers due to the infraction on the list of State
delegates. With two warring factions comprising Senator Magnus Abe, his
supporters on one side and His Excellency Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and supporters on the
other side in a protracted political conflict which had defied reconciliation.
Angered
by the incessant political imbroglio, Senator Magnus Abe with his teeming
supporters of the Freedom House defied the leader of the party in Rivers State Rt.
Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in his surreptitious choice of Architect
Pastor Tonye Dele Cole as the Governorship candidate of the APC.
In
2022 Senator Abe first asked his factional Chairman, Honourable Golden Chioma
to join the SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY-SDP as most of their followers joined the
party en masse later. Given his plans for realising his political ambition,
Senator Abe set up SMA Group, a Socio-political association, which has a presence
in the 319 wards in Rivers State 23-Local Government Areas.
For
those who know Senator Abe's experience in Rivers State politics and also know
his antecedence in the political organization as a former lawmaker in Rivers State
House of Assembly, former Commissioner for Information, former secretary-To
-Rivers State Government-SSG and Senator Rivers State South-East Senatorial
District in the 8th National Assembly, they believe a surprise was likely.
Before
his defection to SDP, Senator Abe had been a leader of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu Presidential Supporters Group in Rivers State. And he still maintains
that position even though he is currently in the Social Democratic Party-SDP.
On
29th July 2022 in a Press Statement signed by Senator Abe’s Media, Parry Saroh
Benson, quoted Abe on defection to SDP said: ”Yes I am a member of the Social
Democratic Party SDP. I remain irrevocably committed to the ideals that have
driven my politics through the years. And will continue to do all we can to
improve internal democracy in the politics of our country and focus on the
people”. He first obtained All Progressives Congress APC Governorship
Nomination and Expression of Intent Forms before his defection to Social
Democratic Party-SDP.
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