The Rivers State All Progressives Congress is now at crossroads, following the rift between the former governor of the state and now Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, and Senator Magnus Abe, representing Rivers South-East senatorial district at the National Assembly.
There is no fight in the APC. I am not in any way stopping Abe from running for the governorship seat, but what I know is that I will not support him. Abe is daring me, an Ikwerre son. He is abusing me every day. I will ensure I use Ikwerre vote
It’s intriguing to note, however, that the relationship between the two prominent politicians in the state had been cordial, as Amaechi had, before the build-up to the 2015 general election, succeeded in leading all his loyalists who included Abe, from the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the APC. But that was then, as things have now fallen apart, as it were, in the state’s APC owing to the rancor between the two men.
Many have argued that Amaechi, who is the pillar of the party in the state, desires to maintain the status quo of godfather, hence he would demand that every party member, irrespective of their position, submits to his views.
But it is also argued in some quarters that Amaechi’s political relevance in the state would have been threatened had he not been approved by the Senate as a minister, a process that was largely influenced by Senator Abe, who threw his weight behind his confirmation.
Senate President Bukola Saraki specifically averred this when he said Amaechi would not have become a Minister without Abe’s influence.
“Magnus Abe played a huge role during the selection of ministers. You (Amaechi) would not have been in the Federal Cabinet without Abe,” Saraki said, when reacting to the crisis in the Rivers APC.
The disagreement between the duo is not unconnected with the 2019 elections, as there are indications that, contrary to Amaechi’s position on the choice of candidate ahead of the governorship poll in the state, the senator is nursing the ambition of grabbing the ticket on the platform of the party.
Abe’s ambition has strained the relationship between leaders of the APC in the state who are now sharply divided.
However, Amaechi, who insisted that there were no two factions in the party in the state, and that the party had remained a united and viable opposition to the PDP government, still said he would ensure that Abe’s governorship ambition did not become a reality, as he would use the strength of his home-town, Ikwerre, to vote against him.
The minister said he would not support the senator because he was “in the business of insulting and daring me.”
A distraught Amaechi said, “There is no fight in the APC. I am not in any way stopping Abe from running for the governorship seat, but what I know is that I will not support him. Abe is daring me, an Ikwerre son. He is abusing me every day. I will ensure I use Ikwerre vote against him.”
The former governor further maintained that the governance of the state must be rotated among the different ethnic nationalities that make up the state, adding that it would be greed if Ikwerre retained power for more than 12 years.
He disclosed that he would support any riverine candidate in the 2019 elections, adding that when ‘riveriners’ finished their eight-year tenure, power would be given to the Ogonis.
“When we finish with riverine, if Ogoni shows interest, we will support them. I am not saying that Ogoni people do not have qualified persons. In every field of study, you must see a graduate from Ogoni, even to the point of Ph.D. At the moment, we have not chosen a candidate; only God will decide who will become the next governor,” he explained.
He added that anybody who did not buy into his views should leave the party.
In his reaction, Abe accused Amaechi of causing crisis in the party, but insisted that he would not leave the party though there were indications in some quarters that the senator could call it quits, any moment hence.
The senator, who traced the crisis in the party to the March 4, 2017 meeting convened by Amaechi in Port Harcourt, insisted that he would remain in the party “even in the face of needless provocation and unwarranted bitterness.”
He said, “As I told the state chairman of the party that every member of the party knows the cause and the reason for the present crisis in the APC in Rivers State, I will also state it here.
“The Minister of Transportation made several shocking pronouncements that heralded the root of our present crisis. He publicly declared that Senator Magnus Abe and Dr. Dakuku Peterside were both running for governor, and that he had ordered both of them to stop.
The Minister of Transportation made several shocking pronouncements that heralded the root of our present crisis. He publicly declared that Senator Magnus Abe and Dr. Dakuku Peterside were both running for governor, and that he had ordered both of them to stop
“He said Dr. Peterside had stopped and Senator Abe had not, and that anyone supporting Senator Abe should leave the party immediately.
“He went on to name party leaders sympathetic to Abe and declared that they must leave the
party.
“The Minister declared at that meeting that anyone who failed to show absolute loyalty to him personally should receive no benefit or recognition from the party whatsoever, including contracts and patronage.”
The last, apparently, has yet to be heard, as the two Rivers politicians continue in this war of words.
