A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has disputed claims by former Rivers South-East Senator, Magnus Abe, that the preferred guber candidate of the party for the 2023 governorship election, Pst. Tonye Cole, is alien to the All Progressives Congress and her teeming supporters in Rivers State.
Sen. Abe while addressing crowd at the Captain Elechi-Amadi Polytechnic, Port Harcourt, on Thursday, told his audience that the Rivers APC will not accept anybody who is an ‘outsider’ to the party.
Reacting to by Abe, Eze said Abe’s comment which suggests a clear hypocritical gesture of modesty is a mere ploy to draw attention and curry an array of sympathetic hearing from the public which is clearly unlikely in the circumstance.
In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, Chief Eze recalled that safe the stoppage of the Rivers APC from participating in the 2019 polls at the behest of Mr. Abe, Pst. Tonye Cole, who was the party’s candidate in the last election would have by now been serving out his first term and seeking re-election as Rivers Governor.
“…Arch. Tonye Cole who was the authentic Flag-Bearer of the party for the 2019 general elections would have been seeking his second tenure as the Governor of Rivers State if not for the wicked act of Senator Magnus Abe for ensuring that the party did not contest the 2019 general elections in Rivers State.”
Recalling how Governor Nyesom Wike was almost ousted by the candidate of the AAC, Biokpomabo Awara who was adopted by the Rivers APC three days to the elections and was clearly coasting to victory but was truncated by the criminal manipulation that later heralded the announcement of results, Eze said the 2019 election would have been a walkover for Tonye Cole who had already toured the 319 wards of the state and presented himself to the people.
Describing Abe as an avowed saboteur and stack enemy of the All Progressives Congress and Rivers People, who connived with Gov. Wike and the People’s Democratic Party to frustrate the chances of the APC in participating and winning the 2019 polls, Eze said the ex-Lawmaker will also share in the blame for the poverty and multi-sectoral retrogression that has bedeviled the state and her people since Wike took over power.
“Under normal environment, the likes of Abe would be hiding from the public to avoid lynching after his very many anti-party, anti-people engagements”, Eze said.
The party Chief recalled how Mr. Worgu Boms, described the APC as the “fig tree cursed by Jesus Christ” for not producing any fruits.
He said same Worgu Boms, who later ran election for the seat of the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South, could only muster three votes in a convention of thousands of delegates.
Assuring that same fate awaits Abe at the APC guber Primaries, Chief Eze counseled the former Senator to play down talking and wait for the deal day when the die will be cast.
Having defiled all advice and warnings, Eze asked Abe to continue to abuse Amaechi to his heart-content with the false believe of satisfying former Lagos Governor, Ahmed Tinubu.
Eze emphasized that Tinubu is not deceived by Abe’s cosmetic loyalty and will definitely attend to him at the appropriate time.
“The former Lagos Governor knows that as one who could scheme to destroy a man who risked everything to raise him to stardom, Abe cannot be relied upon in any serious political engagement”.
Eze reiterated that though Tonye Cole is not his friend, but as a loyal party man, so far as he has been approved by the leadership of the party, he will do everything to ensure that he succeeds because according to him, the party is supreme and every party loyalist should do the same.
He expressed deep confidence in the ability of Tonye Cole to turn the fortunes of Rivers State around, given his industry and wealth of experience in nurturing start-ups into blue chips.
The party Chief commended Tele Ikuru, for donating campaign vehicles for the advancement of the presidential and guber projects of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi and Tonye and called on other party members to contribute their quotas in making the projects a reality for a better, greater, strong, united Nigeria and a prosperous Rivers State.
