Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s minister of transportation, has said that he was not sure if the lawmaker representing Rivers South-East in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, was still a member of the All Progressives Congress.
Amaechi, who is the leader of the APC in Rivers State and the South-South zone, disagreed with comments credited to Abe that he (Amaechi) remained his (Abe) leader.
A statement from Amaechi’s Media Office indicated Abe told newsmen at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja that Amaechi was his leader.
But Amaechi, who is the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, maintained that Abe should stop deceiving the public by saying he (Amaechi) remained his leader.
“I am not Magnus Abe’s leader. Abe has long left me and the political family that was largely responsible for his rise and fame in politics. How can I be Abe’s leader when he and the minions sponsored by him, privately and publicly abuse, insult and cast aspersions on me, my wife and members of my family daily? Is that how a follower treats his leader?
“It’s cheap and indeed shameful political sophistry for Abe to stand in the APC secretariat and deceitfully say I am his leader while all he has done, both privately and publicly in recent times, are to undermine me, the APC and desecrate the APC in Rivers State.
“As a matter of fact, it is indeed very doubtful if Senator Abe is still in the APC. He mouths APC, but his actions belly his words and clearly tell a different story,” the statement read.
Amaechi said Abe’s actions, especially the opening of a parallel office for a “non-existent” parallel executive, was aimed at weakening and destroying the APC in Rivers State.
“A man, who wakes up, creates an imaginary parallel party executive and went ahead to open an office for the non-existent parallel executive that has no base and foundation, cannot be said to be committed in any way to the party.
“As a matter of fact, his actions are obviously targeted at weakening and destroying the party. Such a hypocritical, devious character cannot be my follower. I am not his leader,” Amaechi said in the statement.
However, a member of Abe’s faction of the APC in Rivers State, who did not want his name mentioned, said Abe remained a member of the APC and would contest in the governorship election in the state on the platform of the APC.
