Rev. Christian Ahiakwo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has said the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Senator Magnus Abe, withdrew his support for Bola Tinubu because of his governorship ambition.
Ahiakwo, an APC leader in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state, said: “It remains a fact that Abe withdrew his support from Tinubu’s campaign and placed his Governorship interest above Tinubu’s Presidency and that is why Chief Tony Okocha mounted as a pilot to drive the ship to success.”
He was reacting to a post on social media by the spokesman of the SDP Campaign Council in the state, Dr Bethel Oko-Jaja.
He said: “Thank God for Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, who also threw his strength behind Chief Tony to enable the sound of victory in Rivers APC.
“There is no gainsaying that the Magnus Abe faction did not campaign for Tinubu, but mankind is truthful to thyself; Abe abandoned Tinubu when the party needed him more, for his self-interest, above the party’s interest.”
The APC chieftain stated that party members in the state were comfortable with the party’s leadership under Chief Tony Okocha, with or without an appointment.
Ahiakwo said: “As APC members, we are very comfortable with Chief Tony Okocha as our leader with or without an appointment; we are not beggars who depend on the crumbs of his master to survive.
“We are a political party, and by his grace, we have produced a President, and that is enough ride for us to put ourselves together.
“We all made huge sacrifices to let go of our relationships with Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and others regardless of their power and financial affluence. We got here in pain but with joy that the two warlords could not take APC Rivers members to the promised land.”