Rivers
Sen. Abe expresses gratitude to Rivers people for buying APC gov form for him
Former Senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, has thanked the Rivers State people for purchasing the nomination form for gubernatorial ticket on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Abe spoke when he appeared on a live programme on the ARISE News Channel.
He said the Rivers people are more interested in effective governance that will return power to the people, rather than politics.
The senator said: “I have already purchased my form to run for the primary election in our party, the APC, and it will interest you to know that the Rivers people contributed money to support me to get the form.
“The people from every divide, every ethnic group, every political affiliation, and religious affiliation, including Muslims, Christians, and people across the state helped to purchase the form. Some contributed N20,000 while some brought N1 million. They brought money to help me cross that barrier.
“I think that with that kind of background, the party members across the state have realised that I’m one of their surest best to cross that bridge when we actually get there.
“Secondly, let me also say that as far as I know, what Rivers people are interested in at this point is not so much of politics, but effective governance.
“They want a governor that will devote his time to attend to their own needs and their own challenges.
“They want a governor that understands their own problems that they face. You see like I was talking to our children the other day at the Rivers State University, when you are hungry in the school, nobody knows whether you are from Kalabari or Ogoni. When you don’t have a job, nobody knows whether you are from Ekpeye or Andoni. At that point our problems are the same.”
Abe added: “The reality of our situation today in Rivers State is that we need to work together; we need to come together across political and ethnic privileges to be able to harness the vast and enormous economic potential that the state has. We need leaders that can bring that message of unity and inclusion.”
Senator Abe recalled that since Rivers State was created in 1967, no Ogoni person has ever been a governor, deputy governor, Speaker of the state House of Assembly or the state Chief Judge, which according to him, could not have been a coincidence.
He said there are three senatorial districts in Rivers State, the Rivers West, Rivers East and Rivers South East senatorial districts. But in all, only the Rivers South East senatorial district was yet to produce a governor.