Magnus Abe vows to be on Rivers guber ballot despite shunning on-going APC primaries

Factional leader of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC), Magnus Abe, has urged Rivers people to look out for his name on the ballot paper in the governorship election in 2023.

Abe, who just dissociated himself from the ongoing primaries holding at the Adokiye Amasiemeka Stadium, said he pulled out because the exercise was a mere charade.

He said any election where you were excluded in the selection of delegates would not favour you.

He however, made it clear that he would be on the ballot in 2023 and that it is the people of Rivers State that would decide who the next governor would be, not an individual.

He was referring to the notion that the leader of the party in the South-South, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, now presidential aspirant, had imposed a consensus aspirant as well as handpicked the delegates.

Abe said he had always made it clear that he would not support outcome of any primaries or consensus that did not include him.

He also said he has not left the APC but only withdrew from the primaries.

Observers are wondering how Abe was sure to be on the ballot without APC or even the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that had already picked their guber flag bearer.

Abe had disagreed with the choice of Tonye Cole by the Amaechi stream of the party in 2019, and went to court.

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The battery of court suites led to the disqualification of the APC from the entire elections.

Abe also objected to the party convention of 2021 that sought to reconstitute the party, but lost in a new court case. This made the party executives led by Emeka Beke legitimate.

Abe, a one-time senator, also complained against the ward and local council delegates exercises that would produce those to choose a guber candidate.

Some members protested at the State Secretariat of the party last week but it did not stop the exercise.

Now, midway in the guber primaries today, May 26, 2022, he announced his withdrawal.

Later in the day, he explained that he did not withdraw but rather rejected the primaries.

He urged his followers to remain calm but be ready to vote for him in 2023.