By Baron Ike
All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Senator from Rivers State, Magnus Abe has given reason why he is fraternising with Governor Nyesom Wike, saying it was in the interest of the APC and to guard against violence.
He also spoke on the recent violence reported in the state where the Rivers State court complex was allegedly attacked by warring members of the APC and appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to call the warring members to order.
He described the unruly members as “men without conscience” and asked the President to intervene to save the party.
Abe who spoke in Abuja told reporters that they were forced to go to court when it became clear “all internal conflict resolution processes within the party had been compromised at the altar of individual power.”
He said that following the alleged compromise of APC’s internal conflict resolution, aggrieved members were advised to seek redress in court.
He added that the APC must distance itself from “the show of shame currently going on in Rivers State.”
Denying working with Wike to destabilise APC in the state, he said that his fraternity with the governor was open and in the interest of APC so as to douse tension and minimise violence.
Abe’s said: “I have decided to address you this afternoon because it has become clear that my party, the All Progressives Congress, has reached a point where it must take a decision either to live up to the values of our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, and do the right thing or abandon our values and destroy our soul in order to please man.
“You will recollect that I briefed the press before the ward congresses in Rivers State where I stated publicly, that the confusion deliberately being set in Rivers State was nothing other than an attempt to display the raw power of man, to destroy and exclude all those who have expressed disagreement with the leader of the party in the state.
“The Southsouth caucus of the party had met at the home of the Minister of Transportation, (Chibuike Amaechi,) in Abuja and directed that certain steps be taken by leaders in the states to build confidence in the process before the congresses should begin.
“First it was agreed that an all-inclusive meeting be called between Thursday and Friday preceding the ward congresses.
“The meeting was to include all tendencies in the party and the modalities for congresses be discussed and agreed upon. It was also directed that the congress committee from Abuja should meet with stakeholders on arrival and be briefed on arrangements and agreements already reached in the state.
“None of this was done in Rivers State, rather a faction of the party, led by the minister, proceeded with the exercise in disdain of rights and privileges of other members. Party members, who paid money to the party, were disenfranchised. All protests and appeals fell on deaf ears.
‘’After the purported failed exercise, another Southsouth caucus meeting was called, this time at the home of the minister of state for Petroleum and it was agreed the rules were not followed in Rivers State and the exercise in Rivers State was not acceptable.”