An All Progressives Congress chieftain in Rivers State, Magnus Abe, says Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is not God, noting that he can become the next governor of the South-South state without the support of the former governor.
Abe, a former member of the red chamber who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District, stated this on Wednesday while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by The PUNCH.
Abe was once Secretary to the State Government when Amaechi was Rivers governor between May 2007 and May 2015 but the two politicians fell apart thereafter due to political differences, though members of the same party.
Speaking on the television programme, Abe said the feud in the APC in Rivers is beyond himself and the minister.
He said, “I don’t think it is about me and Rotimi Amaechi being on good terms or bad terms, the reality of our situation is that we both belong to the same political party. We have not been on the same page because the minister said anybody who is not with him is no longer a member of the party and that is not what the constitution says.”
The Senator also said the people of Rivers have called on him to run for the office of governor in 2023 to succeed Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party but he had yet to make a decision.
Asked whether he can become Rivers governor without resolving issues with Amaechi, Abe said, “No human being is God. So, you can’t say that without a particular human being, in a democracy, nothing can happen.
“In a democracy, I don’t think the party has one leader as far as the South-South is concerned…That ‘Oga’ type of politics, I don’t think it has a place in modern Nigeria that is coming.”
Abe, however, agreed that the APC must put its home in order in Rivers to defeat the PDP in the next election.
He also debunked reports that he has been colluding with the PDP in Rivers to scuttle and sabotage the chances of the APC in the next election.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
