Senator Magnus Abe has left the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State hours after expressing denial on his exit through close associate and former Rivers Chief of Staff, Sir Tony Okocha.
In a statement through Parry Benson, his Media Aide, the former Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District said, he however remains committed to the 2023 presidential bid of APC candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Abe stated, “I have since left the APC in Rivers. Yesterday, there were some funny letters circulating on the internet that I have resign from the APC because Asiwaju refused to intervene in the politics of Rivers. That is ridiculous. All politics is local. I have no interest whatsoever in the APC in Rivers.
“People talk about resignation, how do I resign from the party I don’t even know who the ward chairman is, so I couldn’t have written a letter to people I don’t know? I know from the Constitution of the APC, and the constitution of the country that there are several means by which you leave the party. Resignation is just one of the ways to leave.
“You can leave by resignation, you can leave by death, you can withdraw your membership, you can join another political party. The way the APC is sinking in Rivers State it makes no sense for any politician that has serious political interest in the State to remain in Rivers APC.
“I have no stake in the APC in Rivers. I don’t know anybody that is in the entire executive of the APC in all the 319 wards. I don’t even know who my ward chairman is neither do I know any ward ex-officio, officer of the party. I don’t have anybody running for any office in APC in Rivers, except Asiwaju who is running for President.
“I have absolutely no stake in the party in Rivers State and all politics at the end of the day is local. And so it will be irresponsible of me to stay in the APC in Rivers State and support a party in which I have no stake in their victory.
“My future in politics of Rivers is not tied to the APC and so it is clear that I’m no longer a member of the APC in Rivers as far as that goes. In the coming days a lot of things will unfold but the issue of me and the APC in Rivers I think that was decided a long time ago.
“I don’t know why people are still speculating and writing letters on an issue that I have made public a long time ago that I’m not part of the APC as far as Rivers State is concerned”.
On Tinubu’s presidential ambition and Muslim Muslim ticket, Abe said, “I don’t think the biggest concern in any family now is the church that Shettima attends. I think what people want to hear about everywhere now are issues of what is going to happen to security.
“What is going to happen to the economy, how is this going to affect their life, and the lives of their children, those things are the critical issues. After all, the current Vice President is a Christian. If that were to be the most important thing for most people then we shouldn’t be complaining right now.”
