Guber Primary: Rivers APC Gets Hotter As Senator Abe Dares Amaechi, NWC

A gubernatorial aspirant, Sen. Magnus Abe, has vowed to ensure that the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State does not end soon.

“The battle has just begun,” Abe said over the weekend in the Rivers State Capital, Port Harcourt, after another aspirant, Tonye Cole was recognised as the authentic candidate of the party to challenge the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike in 2019.

Although Abe emerged winner of the direct primary conducted by the Peter Odike-led faction in the state, Tonye Cole emerged from an indirect primary of the faction loyal to Minister of Transport and ex-Governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi.

Cole was also adopted as the genuine candidate of the party by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) panel sent to monitor the gubernatorial primary election in the state.

However, Abe, who currently represents Rivers South East senatorial district in the National Assembly, has vowed never to bow to Amaechi and the NWC panel on the matter.

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He described the indirect primaries that produced Cole as flawed and unacceptable.

He said, “I am sure you are all aware of the current decision of the NWC of our party which accepted the report that returned Tonye Cole elected, based on the indirect primary conducted in the state.

“The battle has just begun. The party has set up an appeal. We will take advantage of the appeal panel and forward our case.

“The result of the indirect primary remains unacceptable and will remain unacceptable. The indirect primary was a charade set up by a few individuals to bring in their candidate. We will not accept that result.

“We are now faced with a fact that a man who just joined the party can claim to be a candidate of the party. This is against the wish of everybody who has worked for the party.

“I don’t have anything against Tonye Cole because he is my friend. But we are politicians and we are fighting for justice. Without truth there can be no justice and without justice there can be no peace.”