■I’ll never endorse Abe’s gov ambition –Amaechi

By CHRIS ANUCHA, Port Harcourt

The leadership crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has taken a turn for the worse with the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, asserting that not even President Muhammadu Buhari, can make him endorse the governorship aspiration of Senator Magnus Abe.
Amaechi told some stakeholders of the party, at a meeting he convened, on Thursday, at the residence of former Chairman, Local Government Commission, Chief Nnamdi Nwokekoro at the Rumukalagbo area of Port Harcourt, that President Buhari cannot prevail on him to endorse the governorship ambition of Senator Abe on the platform of the APC.
The minister was also said to have held another meeting at the residence of the Chairman of Etche Local Chairman, Barr. Reginald Ukwuoma. Those present at the meeting were: APC State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya; State Secretary, Mr. Emeka Bekee; member of the APC Board of Trustees, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and other stakeholders of the party in Rivers State.
At the meeting, Amaechi further reiterated his disenchantment with Senator Abe’s rising political profile within and outside the state after he won the Rivers South East Senatorial District re-run legislative election.
“I have foreclosed Abe’s governorship ambition as far as the Rivers APC is concerned. If he likes, let him run to President Buhari, that will not change anything. If he likes, let him go to the First Lady, Aisha Buhari; nothing will change”, he was quoted as saying.
He stressed: “In my capacity as the leader of the APC in Rivers State, Abe cannot be the governorship candidate of the party in Rivers State in 2019. Abe has no character. I hear the executives of about 15 local government areas are already working for him. I will see how far they can go.
“I am the only one who can determine who gets the party’s ticket in 2019. Suddenly, Abe has become something else in the party because he won his Senatorial election. Was I not governor for eight years? Was I not Speaker for eight years?”
Amaechi warned that he will suspend any party leader who is supporting Senator Abe’s candidature for 2019, adding that “I remain the leader of the APC in Rivers State. Even if the 23 LGA chairmen of the party support him, that will not change anything.”
Amaechi wondered: “Because I now operate from Abuja, Abe has expanded his tentacles all over the place. Just imagine people who are not even politicians are now telling me that it is only Abe that can win the governorship seat for the APC in 2019.
“I am waiting to see how they will make him the governorship candidate of Rivers APC in 2019. We have the National Working Committee, NWC; we also have the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party. But no one will deny that I have made enormous sacrifices for the party to get to where it is today.”
At Okwuoma’s residence, Amaechi pulled of his pugilistic gloves and branded Senator Abe as a “treacherous politician who is now fraternising fulltime with my political enemies in Rivers and Lagos States, including Abuja politicians who are always willing to flaunt their new found political titles and connections.”
The minister of transportation fumed: “I know Abe is a Senator. But I also know that he is fraternising with my political enemies like the Senate President, Bukola Saraki. If Abe likes, let him come to Rivers State with the leadership of the National Assembly or that of the APC. I, Amaechi, will not support him for governorship in 2019”.
When contacted in Port Harcourt yesterday, for his reaction, Abe’s Spokesman Mr. Parry Benson, described his boss as a consistent politician with character, someone who has never been treacherous.
Also, when contacted, a member of Amaechi’s media team who pleaded anonymity said that the former governor could not have said what was attributed to him as regards President Buhari and his wife. He promised that the team will do a detailed response to the report later.