Magnus Abe, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, gubernatorial candidate has said that he supported the Kalabari candidate when it was the turn of the Rivers West to produce the governor.
He said that as institutions become stronger, Nigerians must learn to respect one another and treat each other fairly with respect, adding that the issue of where anyone comes from will not matter.
Speaking during the defection of some Kalabari youths from PDP to SDP, Abe said that until Rivers people grow themselves to that stage, people will always ask, “it is our turn, we need to be involved, we need to be included”
Speaking on the agitation by Kalabaris to produce the governor in 2023, Abe noted that: “Kalabari people have never produced an elected Governor in this dispensation, and therefore if they are agitating as one of the major blocks in Rivers State that they will also like to govern the state, that is a legitimate aspiration, and it should be looked at in the context of other aspirations that are on the table.
“It was for that reason that when Chief Ebenezer Isokariari ran for the office of governor, myself and other Ogoni sons and daughters came together and gave him full support, maximum support.
And that is why till tomorrow, Chief Ebenezer will support me no matter what I am doing. When he knew that I was contesting this election, he called me. When I was contesting elections in the past, he would fly down from Lagos and come and show his face, he would always show that he supports me.
“He knows how hard I fought, we fought for him at that time and did it because it was the right thing to do. When it was the turn of the Rivers West, I supported the Kalabari people. When it was the turn of Rivers East, it was the Ogoni people, arranged by me when I was Commissioner that went to Odili and told him that it was the turn of the Ikwerre people. Now is the turn of the Rivers South-East, Kalabari is not in South-East, when it was the turn of the Rivers West where Kalabari is from, I supported them.
“The Kalabaris that are saying it must be Kalabari, people should call them and ask when that Kalabari man was running, where did they stand? Because that was the turn of the Rivers West. I stood with the Kalabari people at that time. When it was the turn of the Rivers East, I stood with the Ikwerre. Now is the turn of the Rivers South East, the largest block from the Rivers South East is the Ogonis. I am from Ogoni and I will be the next Governor of Rivers State”.
