The Rivers State political landscape bubbled in the final week of July 2022 as a distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, at last, pitched his tent with the Social Democratic Party-SDP- having resigned his membership of All Progressives’ Congress-APC- where he was denied gubernatorial governorship ticket. Earlier, the Ogoni-born politician had kept all his supporters guessing on where and what next will be coming from him as a mounted big Billboard with the inscription “Senator Magnus Abe Will Be On the 2023 Ballot”, urged his teeming supporters to go out and validate their Permanent Voters’ Cards, which will enable them to participate in the 2023 general elections.
In 2019, Senator Magnus Abe, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the 8th National Assembly, was a politician many had seen as a likely Governor in waiting, but the Supreme Court’s judgment, which ruled that Rivers State chapter of the APC should not be on the 2019 ballot papers due to the infraction on the list of State delegates. With two warring factions comprising Senator Magnus Abe, his supporters on one side and His Excellency Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and supporters on the other side in a protracted political conflict which had defied reconciliation.
Angered by the incessant political imbroglio, Senator Magnus Abe with his teeming supporters of the Freedom House defied the leader of the party in Rivers State Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in his surreptitious choice of Architect Pastor Tonye Dele Cole as the Governorship candidate of the APC.
In 2022 Senator Abe first asked his factional Chairman, Honourable Golden Chioma to join the SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY-SDP as most of their followers joined the party en masse later. Given his plans for realising his political ambition, Senator Abe set up SMA Group, a Socio-political association, which has a presence in the 319 wards in Rivers State 23-Local Government Areas.
For those who know Senator Abe’s experience in Rivers State politics and also know his antecedence in the political organization as a former lawmaker in Rivers State House of Assembly, former Commissioner for Information, former secretary-To -Rivers State Government-SSG and Senator Rivers State South-East Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, they believe a surprise was likely.
Before his defection to SDP, Senator Abe had been a leader of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Supporters Group in Rivers State. And he still maintains that position even though he is currently in the Social Democratic Party-SDP.
On 29th July 2022 in a Press Statement signed by Senator Abe’s Media, Parry Saroh Benson, quoted Abe on defection to SDP said: ”Yes I am a member of the Social Democratic Party SDP. I remain irrevocably committed to the ideals that have driven my politics through the years. And will continue to do all we can to improve internal democracy in the politics of our country and focus on the people”. He first obtained All Progressives Congress APC Governorship Nomination and Expression of Intent Forms before his defection to Social Democratic Party-SDP.
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