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Tag: Magnus Ngei Abe

  • Saturday’s poll: Abe tells supporters not to vote AAC in Rivers

    The Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Ngei Abe has dissociated himself from the adoption of the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

    Abe said the APC under the Peter Odike led leadership is neither in alliance with the AAC nor any other political party in the state and urged his supporters to vote for candidates of their choice in Saturday’s Governorship and State House of Assembly general elections in the State.

    He said the APC’s national leadership has not issued any directive to its members in Rivers State to form an alliance with or join any political party in the state ahead of the elections.

    The Senator in a statement, he personally signed expressed regrets that the APC as a political party would not be on the ballot in view of the extant Supreme Court judgment on the Rivers APC, describing the apex court as the final hope of every oppressed Nigerian.

    Abe stated that the Supreme Court had fixed its appeal for hearing on the 14th of March because Amaechi’s group had written a petition against the sitting panel of the Court and there was no time to constitute a fresh panel to hear the case before the elections.

    The statement reads, “Yesterday, I was briefed by our legal team, that the Supreme Court of Nigeria fixed our appeal for hearing on the 14th of March, 2019, because the Amaechi’s group had written a petition against the sitting panel of the Court and there was no time to constitute a fresh panel to hear the case before the elections.

    “Every effort made by our legal team to get a date for hearing before the elections tomorrow was unsuccessful. As a lawyer, I understand the position of the Supreme Court, and I urge all Rivers people who hoped and prayed for a different outcome to respect and honour the position of the Court.

    “The Supreme Court is the final hope of every oppressed Nigerian and the only true rock on which our democracy can rest. With that position of the Court, the APC as a political party will not be on the ballot for tomorrow’s elections for Governorship and the House of Assembly.

    “The only moral justification for the Amaechi faction’s petition to block the urgent hearing of our appeal and allow the APC to have candidates in this election is to further justify the narrative that we stopped the candidature of Tonye Cole and others.

    “This narrative is, of course, false to our knowledge and to most Nigerians who followed events in Rivers State objectively.

    “The candidature of Cole and others was deliberately built on a foundation of disobedience to Court orders and orchestrated violence against the courts.

    “These were actions taken by the APC leadership in Rivers State despite our warnings and appeals, that these actions were clear pathways to political disaster.

    “Having successfully blocked our quest for justice and redemption for the APC, the same leadership has gone ahead to form an alliance with another political party the AAC, as I write I have not received or seen any statement from the national headquarters of our party directing our members in Rivers State to join or participate in any alliance with another political party in Rivers State.

    “Indeed the national leadership of the AAC has come out publicly to dissociate itself from the alliance. On a personal note, I cannot participate in the alliance, for the reason that myself and other leaders of the APC in Rivers State considered as not loyal to the minister of transportation were not consulted.

    “I, therefore, support the position of the State Chairman of the party, Prince Peter Odike that there is no alliance with AAC in Rivers State.

    “The alliance is nothing other than another attempt to enforce Amaechi’s right to pick a Governor for Rivers people that is loyal and answerable to him alone.

    “We urge all Rivers people, particularly members of the APC to reject it and vote for candidates of their choice.

    “After all is said and done, the only reason the AAC party candidates is being supported by the Minister today is because he either left or refused to join the APC, if he was a member of our party, the Minister would rather destroy the party than support him.

    “The reason for the fight in the APC is the absolute determination of the Minister of Transportation not to consider any APC member for the Governorship race on the platform of our party.

    “We must all condemn the escalating violence in Rivers State; I appeal to all politicians in Rivers State to conduct themselves in a manner that acknowledges that no Rivers man has a greater claim to Rivers State than another.

    “In the present situation, the safety of voters cannot even be guaranteed; neither will the results of the elections be acceptable to the broad majority of our people if they are not allowed to freely exercise their franchise without the fear violence.

    “I thank the security agencies for their vigorous efforts at ensuring peaceful atmosphere for elections in Rivers State but I must urge them to act at all times in the best interests of our country and its citizens.

    “Finally to my supporters, please keep faith, we started this journey with nothing but our faith in God, if we lose our faith then we are left with absolutely nothing.

    “Our God has been faithful; we have never plotted evil, mobilized violence or betrayed our principles in the quest for power.

    “Every evil plot, every sponsored blackmail against us will not only fail but will fail woefully and the truth will prevail. The God of justice will definitely speak, and every other voice shall be silent,” Senator Abe stated.

     

  • Elections in Rivers: Abe mourns death of LG ex-Chair

    The Magnus Ngei Abe has mourned the death of the former Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area and others who lost their lives in the needless orgy of violence in Rivers State and warns politicians to avoid spilling blood.

    Abe, in a statement he personally signed on Saturday warned against playing politics of bitterness and spilling of blood.

    He stated that politics must grow beyond primitive level, even as he called for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the heinous murders of innocent Rivers men and women.

    The statement reads, “Unbelievable! My friend and longtime associate, Hon. Mowan Etete and other innocent Rivers people are dead today simply because they came out to answer the call of their country and perform their civic obligation.

    “I had warned repeatedly that we should not stoke the drums of war and Rivers people should no longer forgive any politician no matter how highly placed that is culpable in the orgy of violence that has characterized our recent past.

    “Our politics must begin to move beyond the primitive stage. No politician should continue to claim the power to deliver any unit not to talk of a ward, a local government or a state.

    “We must imbibe the true spirit of democracy which means that the vote of the Governor, the vote of the Minister, the vote of the Senator and the vote of the Commissioner and that of the Chairman will have the same value as that of the Bricklayer, the Driver, the Nurse, and the Unemployed Youth.

    “No one should have the power to promise or guarantee the vote of one Nigerian to a third party.

    “If you are good to your people, you can appeal to them but you must respect their wishes where it differs from your own,” he stated.

    The statement further said that the murder of Mowan, and other men and women today must be treated as the heinous crime that it is. It is not just the gunmen but those behind the scenes who planned and orchestrated that violence must also be brought to book.

    He maintained that Rivers state must grow beyond the politics of blood, saying, “We can no longer allow our dear state to be a byword for electoral violence and bloodshed in the comity of states”.

    “As we speak, we are yet to ascertain the exact number of Rivers men and women that were murdered today in the name of elections. We have to confront the situation as a community and put a stop to it. No perpetrator should go unpunished”, Senator Abe said.

     

  • Rivers APC crisis: Abe to approach Supreme Court

    The Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Magnus Ngei Abe has said he and ors will approach the Supreme Court for proper interpretation of the merits of a suit which he brought before the Court of Appeal seeking a declaration that he and 42 others be affirmed as authentic candidates of the party but was struck out by the Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

    This is as he urged party members to mobilize and vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in this weekend’s presidential election.

    Speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday he said there was need to ensure that justice and equity prevail for party members who participated in a lawful process but were wrongfully excluded from the polls.

    Abe said that everyone knew that the indirect primaries were conducted in violation of existing Court Orders and would not stand; the state chapter of the party reminded the national of this fact in their request for direct primaries.

    “The direct primary was the only lawful exercise conducted by the APC in Rivers State,” he stated

    Senator Abe had approached the Court of Appeal to review the Federal High Court Judgment delivered in January this year which refused to accept the direct primary elections conducted by the State Executive Council (SEC) citing National Working Committee’s (NWC) non participation in the exercise.

    He said, “We had approached the Court of Appeal to help us breakdown the logjam arising out of the current situation in the APC here in Rivers State.

    “Surprisingly, they refused to go into the merits of the case holding that the case is covered by the decision of the Supreme Court in respect of the earlier case against the conduct of the indirect primaries.

    “We believe that is not the sum of the judgment of the Supreme Court so, in consultation with our legal team, we have asked them to approach the Supreme Court for a final resolution of the matter”, he added.

    The senator reiterate the need for Rivers people especially and Nigerians to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner during and after the 2019 general election even as he backed President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the military to deal decisively with any miscreants attempting to disrupt the elections.

    He further said that the Rivers experience with violence in an election makes it easy for Rivers people to understand the need for the presidential directive which was clearly nonpartisan and intended to guarantee a peaceful, free and fair elections for all Nigerians.

     

  • Senator Abe condemns attack on Cole, killing of APC Chieftain in Rivers

    The Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has condemned the killing of an APC chieftain in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Samuel Nwanjoku.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Senator Abe also condemned the recent spate of violence which is taking on an alarming dimension in the State as the 2019 elections draw near, and described the kidnap and subsequent killing of Samuel as shocking, and a great tragedy.

    He called on all sons and daughters of Rivers state to support the security agencies and insist that all perpetrators of the current violence rocking the state must be brought to justice.

    “The news of the brutal murder of a frontline politician in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Mr. Samuel Nwanjoku has come to me as a shock, it is indeed a great tragedy. The senseless murder of this fine and patriotic Rivers man is a clear pointer to the fact that our state is heading for another orgy of violence and mayhem if we do not act immediately and act now to bring it to an end.

    “It is unfortunate that violence has continued to escalate in Rivers State, I call on all right-thinking Rivers sons and daughters to join hands, let us together raise our voices as one and say, it is enough. We must support the security agencies and insist that the perpetrators of this dastardly act must be named, shamed and dealt with according to law.

    “Our condolence goes to the family and indeed all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State as this is a great loss,” the Senator said.

    Abe who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on FERMA, also condemned in its entirety the recent attack on Architect Tonye Cole and his team in Bakana, Degema Local Government Area in the State, describing it as barbaric, cowardly and childish, capable of plunging the state into an undeserved chaos.

    “People must be allowed to freely canvass their preferences, market themselves and their ideas without intimidation, violence or hindrance.

    “I want to call on all political leaders in the State not to just condemn this kind of behaviour but create a forum where all of us can work together to see that actions of this nature are dealt with according to law.

    “It must never be allowed to repeat itself, whoever the perpetrators are, wherever they are, they must be brought to justice. The price of inaction will be too high for us to bear,” he stated.

     

  • Senator Abe charges Ogoni people to keep struggle alive

    The senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has said the Ogoni struggle may not achieve the desired result if people of the area continue to shy away from political activities.

    Senator Abe who stated this during the 23rd Anniversary commemoration of the Ogoni Martyrs day in Port Harcourt said no organization can successfully watch out for the interest of its people without watching out for the politics.

    “The other thing I would like to say is that let us convert our tears to action. We cannot continue to cry indefinitely at a certain point. We must be able to convert our tears to action. We must be able to recognize the things that plagued us, that pull us down and we must be able to struggle against the tide so that we can rise.

    “I think that is what the struggle is about. It is said that it is the punishment of the wise who refuse to participate in Politics that they shall be governed by fools.

    “There is no organization in the world that can watch out for the interest of its people without watching out for the interest of the politics.

    “Whether it is Arewa Forum, whether it is the children of Oduduwa, whether it is Afenifere, everybody keeps one eye on the politics because at the end of the day all the things we gathered here to ask for we are asking from the government and it is politics that forms the government”.

    “So if you ignore the politics you will continue to ask and who will answer you when you don’t know where the politics is going,” Abe stated.

    Abe who is a frontline governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State declared that the Federal Government and HYPREP have made significant progress on the clean-up of impacted areas in Ogoniland and urged MOSOP to be vigilant to watch the process so that the people can benefit from the exercise.

     

  • Sen. Abe decries vandalization of party’s new secretariat

    Governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has declared that last Saturday’s vandalization of the party’s new secretariat by hoodlums will not stop its official opening ceremony.

    Abe made the declaration while speaking at Bori, Headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, during a special prayer session organized by women of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District.

    The Senator said: “Let me say very clearly that today, some people went and attacked the new party office that the party is trying to open on Aba Road, Port Harcourt.

    “The whole idea of bringing guns into politics is to intimidate people. To create fear in your mind. To make you think that no matter how many you are, with one gun, they are more than you. That is the message they want to send”.

    “But let me stand here, before God Almighty and respond to them. And let me also say that when we don’t carry guns, it is not because we don’t know where guns are.

    “I have said it before, that I buy computers for students because that is what I give my own children”.

    “If guns are so good, go and give them to your own children. What you are not giving to your children and you go outside and give it to the children of other people while your own children are in America, your own children are in London, your own children are in the most expensive universities in this country”.

    “Then to other people’s children, you are comfortable to give them guns and send them to go and attack other people’s children, if you are that kind of leader, you are not a good leader and God will not support you.”

    Abe, who is also the senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to launch an investigation into the attack on the new party secretariat in order to bring the perpetrators to book.

    “Let me use this opportunity to reiterate that I am a man of peace and will remain a man of peace”.

    “Everybody knows that when the righteous rule, the people rejoice because they know that the righteous will not buy guns for other people’s children in the name of politics. We will not allow it”.

    “I have not fought anybody. I have not quarrel with anybody but all I am saying and will continue to say is that we must create a party that is open to everybody where there will be a level playing field for all Rivers people who are interested in political office to aspire”.

     

  • Rivers boat mishap: Abe seeks stiffer regulations from authorities

    Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has called for stiffer regulations for the marine transport sector in Rivers State in order to check incessant cases of boat mishap on the waterways.

    Abe spoke against the backdrop of a recent boat accident along the Bakana waterways, Degema Local Government Area, which resulted in several fatalities.

    He described the late Joseph Blankson, who died while rescuing his fellow passengers when the boat they were travelling in capsized on Saturday, July 28, 2018, as a genuine hero.

    Senator Abe, who spoke when he paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Blankson of Bakana Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, expressed regrets that several lives are lost daily on waterways.

    He said the state government ought to do more by ensuring that those responsible for movement of passenger-boats on waterways in the state live up to their responsibilities.

    Abe, who is also the Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly said: “We need to find out exactly why these things continue to occur and people are not being held accountable”.

    “What are the rules and regulations that guide our waterways? Who are those responsible for enforcement of the rules? Why do we continue to throw precious lives away without taking action?”

    What are we doing to ensure that whoever is responsible is held accountable and punished to ensure that it does not happen again to other people?

    “More importantly, we need to realise that when we do not have regulations, or where we have regulations and we fail to enforce them, where people are charged with responsibility and they fail to discharge that responsibility and in the process lives are lost, those responsible for that thing that they did not do are responsible for those lives that are lost”.

    “As we stand here today, people have died on our waterways. If these passengers had life jackets, if they obeyed the regulations that govern our waterways, all these people that are dead will today be alive”.

    “We must go beyond issuing statements”

    “We must take practical steps to punish those that are responsible and to ensure that this does not happen again, so that tomorrow, we do not need to pay this kind of visit to another mother that is grieving”.

    The Senator further said, “From what I gathered, several other lives were lost. There are several homes today where there is no joy. Strong action must be taken to forestall a repeat of this tragedy.”

    Responding on behalf of the family, Nimi Bobmanuel expressed happiness over Abe’s visit and thanked him for his compassionate words.

     

  • Governorship aspirant sweet-talks Oshiomhole’s APC leadership

    Governorship aspirant sweet-talks Oshiomhole’s APC leadership

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has expressed the hope that the party is now better positioned and poised to overcome its challenges following the emergence of former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as its new National Chairman.

    Abe stated this while speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt shortly after his arrival from Bera, his hometown in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State where a mammoth crowd of supporters were on hand to receive him at a reception organized in his honour.

    He expressed joy that the APC can now boast of a national leadership that is committed to the ideals and core values of the party where members will find a common ground to work together ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Abe, who is also the Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, commended members of the APC in Rivers State for the enthusiasm and commitment they displayed during the convention, despite the challenges facing the party in the state.

    He said, “I am very happy to be home after the convention and I want to use this opportunity to appreciate all members of the All Progressives Congress for their enthusiasm and commitment to the party despite the challenges facing our great party in Rivers State.

    “They were in Abuja in their numbers; I am happy the convention is over and we have a brand new executive of the party that is committed to the ideals and core values of the APC.

    “We believe that all members of the party will find common ground and work together so that we can begin to face the challenges before the party in the coming months.

    “The new leadership of the party has said that they will be committed to truth, justice and inclusion to make sure that all members of the party have an opportunity to fully participate in the programmes of the party. The national chairman said so.

    “And I think that is what this new executive is committed to. They will not humiliate somebody to please another. As far as I am concerned, Rivers State is ripe”.

    Abe, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), reiterated his resolve to contest the 2019 governorship election in Rivers State on the platform of the APC.

    He said, “Let me say it now; what I have said as often as the issue has come up, I am going to contest the primaries of the governorship of Rivers State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

    “My dream and vision is that we must be in a position to offer Rivers people a chance to choose between choices.”

     

  • My disagreement with Amaechi is political – Abe

    My disagreement with Amaechi is political – Abe

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has declared that his disagreement with leader of the party in the state and Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is political.

    Abe, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by his spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson, said Amaechi has publicly declared that he will not support his governorship aspirations.

    The senator said, “I am amused by some of these allegations and stories making the rounds. For the records, the disagreement between me and the Minister (Amaechi) is political. He is the leader of the party but he has said publicly on several occasions that he can never support me.

    “That means the entire country knows that he cannot pretend to be neutral or an unbiased umpire in any matter in which my interest and the interests of those interested in me are concerned. Yet, as the leader it is his responsibility to provide a level playing field for us all.”

    Abe, who is the senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, insisted that those who converged at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt on Friday, May 4, 2018, were not thugs but members and supporters of the party.

    He said, ‘The people he (Amaechi) is referring to as thugs and hoodlums today were the same people that were his heroes yesterday. They were the people we used to blockade the Rivers State Judiciary when his government was threatened. They were the people that slept for days outside the Rivers State House of Assembly to protect his government.

    “A lot of them were members of Save Rivers Movement who risked and gave their all to birth the APC in this state, and he knows a lot of them by name, but today they are thugs and hoodlums because he is now the oppressor”.

    “We are politicians, tomorrow when we need voters, who will these people now branded as thugs be? People paid for forms, they had their tellers and no one was telling them what was going on, they besieged the state secretariat for explanations.”

    “Rather than the leader to come and address them they brought armed policemen to open fire on innocent party men and women. That attack led to the pandemonium at the secretariat.”

    “They were there from morning and there was no violence until the police came and opened fire on APC members who were totally peaceful. Who authorised the shooting and why?”

     

  • Why we turned our back on PDP – Abe

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, said a lot of politicians left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-led government after sixteen years in power because of their strong belief that Nigeria and Nigerians needed a better alternative.

    This is as he said the APC is not just a political party but the symbol of the faith of Nigerians and a political expression of the conviction of the Nigerian people that Nigeria can be made to work for the majority of Nigerians.

    Abe, who spoke in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, during the inauguration of his liaison office, christened, “Freedom House”, urged APC members to make whatever sacrifices that are necessary to reflect this idea and the desire of the Nigerian people, not just to do things differently, but to do things better.

    He said, “I want to remind us all that we turned our back on the PDP government because after sixteen years we all agreed that Nigeria and Nigerians could do better. That is why Nigerians demanded for an alternative”.

    “The All Progressives Congress is not just a political party; it is the symbol of the faith of Nigerians. It is the political expression of the conviction of the Nigerian people that Nigeria can be made to work for the majority of Nigerians”.

    “Therefore, as members of the All Progressives Congress, we must do whatever we can, and we must make whatever sacrifices that are necessary to reflect this idea and the desire of the Nigerian people, not just to do things differently, but to do things better”.

    “The idea of the APC was to ensure that the old ways do not continue. Our slogan of change captivated this country, and President Muhammadu Buhari was the symbol of that hunger for change. Change is always difficult and those who genuinely desire change must be prepared to fight for it.

    “The only political vehicle in our country that is committed to the ideal of a better future for all Nigerians is the All Progressives Congress and the only leader in this country today that has staked his reputation and his commitment to change is President Muhammadu Buhari”.

    “No matter the challenges, I call on Nigerians to rally behind the President and join the APC to fight for the change that we desire. We are the ones who can make it happen”.

    “Those who are running helter-skelter either to go back to the vehicles of the past that all Nigerians saw clearly as incapable of leading us to progress and prosperity are missing the point. Those that are scrambling around for a new vehicle are equally missing the point”.

    “By their actions they have shown Nigerians that they have neither the faith nor the resilience to lead this country to success. Whatever new vehicle they produce now will still be a human vehicle. It will still have human challenges and may face the same storms that the APC is facing today. If that happens tomorrow what will they do? Will they jump off again and begin to search for another vehicle?”

    “Those who genuinely want this country to succeed must stay in the APC, they must join the APC, they must come together and let us work together, fight together to change Nigeria and make it work. Every other effort in any other direction is wasted effort”.

    “We gave the PDP sixteen uninterrupted years before we agreed that no redemption was possible. In three years the APC government has shown great promise. Yes, there are challenges, but there are also verifiable achievements which Nigerians can be proud of.”

    The governorship hopeful said, “Nigeria is going through a time of great challenges and also a time of great opportunities. The challenges are there but the opportunities will open up to those who can find the courage and conviction to take advantage of the present climate of change in our country”.

    “We need to consolidate on the foundations that this APC Government has laid for the development of dear our nation. The opposition has already embarked on orchestrated smear campaign against the federal government”.

    “If you listen to the opposition version of Nigeria, you will get the impression that nothing positive has been achieved in this country under this government and that life under PDP was like Eldorado.”