2023: Abe Speaks On Buhari’s Anointed Successor

2023: Abe Speaks On Buhari’s Anointed Successor

A  former Senator representing the Rivers South-East District in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has not anointed anyone to be the Presidential standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 general elections.

Abe stated this while addressing hundreds of party supporters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Monday.

The former federal lawmaker said on his return from the party’s national convention, he was surprised to see supporters of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi jubilating that their candidate, Chief Victor Giadom, had defeated one of his loyalists, Wogu Boms, as the party’s national vice chairman, South-South.

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He said, “Before we went into the contest, we were aware that they had reached a consensus among the leaders in the South-South. But we are also aware that the national agreement was that where the consensus does not work, there should be a contest.

“When we got to the convention and all the party leaders agreed that for the purposes of unity of the party there should still be consensus and those who are not favoured by the consensus should withdraw.”

“We decided that we will not withdraw. Let them vote because we wanted to make the point that consensus cannot be reached in Rivers State without consultation and respect for members of the party. That was why Wogu Boms did not step down for anybody. It is not that we expected that at that point that we will win, no.

“When I came back here and saw the level of jubilation and celebration that was going on in the state, over the fact that they said they defeated Wogu Boms at the convention,” Abe noted.

He added, “Nothing has happened, people are already making themselves happy.  They are going around telling people that President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a successor. I am a member of the APC.

“I want to stand here and tell you people that I am not aware that the President has nominated anybody to be president, nobody. And that is not what I think is the plan of this party. The plan of this party is that party members should have the opportunity to pick who would succeed the President as the flag-bearer of our party.”

He, therefore, charged his supporters to return to their respective local government areas and activate their contact and mobilization committees ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Earlier, the factional chairman of the APC in the state, Golden Chioma said the party’s national leadership was aware of the factions in the state, hence the setting up of the reconciliation committee.