I have been reading on social media, print media and even on television, issues that bother whom the cap fits to take the Rivers State ministerial slot in the present administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
My attention was drawn to various posts and publications in the media and television, the ranting of those that do not know how the political party called S.D.P came to Rivers State.
Our estranged Gubernatorial aspirant, Senator Ngei Magnus Abe, undermined the political chances of our dear President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in Rivers State during the just concluded Presidential election that ushered President Ahmed Bola Tinubu into Aso Rock.
Today I heard on social media and media houses by some political sycophants that want to gain cheap political relevance are agitating for Senator Abe to be given the ministerial slot for Rivers State.
The question is, what did Abe bring to the table or on board for the emergence of the Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
I am the bona-fide and elected Party Chairman in Obio/Akpor Local Government. I was elected at the party congress as the Chairman of SDP in Obio/Akpor LGA.
I was also appointed as Chairman of all Chairmen of SDP in Rivers State.
We conducted the congress that brought Abe as our Gubernatorial flag bearer, and I remember vividly that the congress was held at Sweet Spirit Hotel, Elekohia, Port Harcourt.
Hon Golden Chioma was responsible for the settlement of all of us that participated in the congress.
The INEC officials were present on that day to observe the proceedings of the day.
Let me make it clear that our interest as a political party was to win the governorship election in the state. That is why we accepted Abe as our Gubernatorial Candidate.
Senator Abe assured us that the SDP would win the Governorship Election .
That was why we all decided to elect him as our Gubernatorial Candidate.
During that electioneering period, we unveiled our SDP LGA secretariat at Old Aba Road, which was commissioned by Senator Abe himself. We held several meetings . One of the meetings was held at Senator Abe’s house, exclusively for Obio/Akpor SDP Stakeholders.
In that particular meeting, Senator Abe vehemently told us to vote for the Presidential candidate of SDP, that would determine his winning the Governorship Election.
We became furious because that was not the original arrangement. The original arrangement was that we would vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Presidential election and Abe for the Governorship Election.
The reason why we opted to vote for Bola Ahmed Tinubu was because our SDP presidential aspirant was not a serious contender and had no chance of winning the Presidential election.
He never visited Rivers State for campaigns nor town hall meetings to tell us what his manifesto was.
We found President Bola Ahmed Tinubu capable and possesses the requisite resources to win the election. Hence, our decision to support him here in Rivers State.
But we were astonished when Senator Abe, our Gubernatorial Aspirant told us to vote Adewole Adebayo, the SDP Presidential Candidate for president and all the Rivers SDP National Assembly Aspirants.
He said that their win would determine his chances of winning the State Governorship Election.
At that very meeting at Sen. Magnus Abe’s Port Harcourt residence, after making such comments, l and my group walked out of the meeting because we felt the agreement of delivering Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State had been betrayed by our Senator Magnus Abe.
From that very moment, we started perceiving Senator Abe as a treacherous person, a traitor and betrayal who wants to attain power by all desperate means.
We therefore reverted to Governor Wike as he then was and Wike directed that we should go and work with High Chief Tony Okocha of APC to deliver Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State.
We met with Chief Tony Okocha, and we worked with him and, with the support of the then Governor Wike, we were able to secure outright victory for Asiwaju in Rivers State.
At the time, we also got information that Senator Abe was romancing with the Ikoku Motor Spare Parts dealers who are ardent supporters of Peter Obi, Magnus Abe solicited their votes, with the promise to reciprocate by influencing most of his supporters to vote for Peter Obi.
Today, I heard some political sycophants soliciting Abe to get the Rivers Ministerial Slot . Why should he?
For me, it is a capital NO.
Equity aids the vigilant and not the indolent.
Senator Abe and his supporters abandoned Asiwaju project in Rivers State for their personal governorship ambition.
He and his supporters didn’t vote for Tinubu.
They shared their votes to Peter Obi and Adewole Adebayo, the SDP Presidential candidate.
That was why Tinubu failed in Magnus Abe’s Polling Unit and Ward.
The man behind Asiwaju’s victory in Rivers State is Former
Governor Wike against all odds.
He put all his political machineries in motion to deliver Asiwaju for Rivers State, in conjunction with Chief Tony Okocha, the Acting Leader of APC in Rivers State and the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the APC Presidential Rally in Rivers State.
Chief Okocha was the 2nd lieutenant and the solid brain behind Asiwaju victory in Rivers State.
Base on these veritable and undeniable facts, and for equity and natural justice, l, join in the justifiable call and do support that the Rivers State Ministerial slot be given to the former Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, not just to compensate him for the work he has done for delivering Asiwaju, but I also believe Asiwaju needs his kind in his cabinet to bring about positive results in his administration.
In the same doctrine of equity and natural justice, l also solicit that the next appointment to come to Rivers State should be given to the Acting leader of APC in Rivers State, High Chief Tony Okocha, for his doggedness and contribution in keeping the house together when persons like Abe and former Governor Amaechi abandoned Bola Ahmed Tinubu project in Rivers State.
It is an undeniable truism that former Governor Amaechi and his Team in Rivers State worked for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP, while Senator Magnus Abe and his supporters shared their votes to Peter Obi and Adewole Adebayo.
Hon. Gideon Wogu
SDP Chairman
Obio/Akpor LGA,
Rivers State.
