TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The Director-General of Tonye Cole Campaign Organisation, Chidi Lloyd, has attacked the senator representing Rivers South East, Magnus Abe, for criticising him over his comments on President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lloyd in a statement in Port Harcourt told Abe to distance the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, from the comments he (Lloyd) made, stressing that he takes responsibility for his statement.
Senator Abe had earlier through his media aide, Parry Benson, cautioned Amaechi and Lloyd to mind their choice of words when addressing Buhari on issues bordering on the internal crisis of Rivers State chapter of APC.
Lloyd, who was the former leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly and an ardent supporter of the minister, accused Abe of romancing the state governor, Nyesom Wike, insisting that he made efforts to frustrate the re-election bid of Buhari.
He said: “My attention has been drawn to an orchestrated mischief titled: “Stop abusing President Buhari, Abe cautions Amaechi,” by Senator Magnus Abe, aimed at pushing my personal views as though they were that of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
“Ordinarily, and by my nature, I wouldn’t have bothered with a reply to the diatribes. But for the damage he intends to do, I want to state categorically that my views are my personal thoughts and should not be credited to any other person other than me.
“It is even more annoying that Magnus Abe did everything under the sun to stop President Buhari from being re-elected. It is on record that when we were working round the clock to ensure we re-elected President Buhari, Magnus Abe addressed a team of 23 coordinators across the 23 LGAs in his camp to go to their LGAs and instruct their supporters to vote for Atiku instead President Buhari and they did.
“I want to state here that no reasonable member of the APC in Rivers State feels happy over what is happening in Rivers State of which Magnus Abe is part of.
“Magnus Abe should take his sanctimonious demeanour to the dogs. As the days go by, more and more Rivers people and, indeed, Nigerians, are getting to know that Abe is a man without honour,” Lloyd stated.