Senator Magnus Abe yesterday emerged the 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State.
A primary election that produced Abe was conducted in Port Harcourt and supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC’s senior officer, Pastor Emmanuel Isong and other monitors from the Department of State Security (DSS) as well as the Nigeria Police Force were on ground throughout the exercise described by observers as the fairest primary poll ever held in the state.
Princess Patricia Ogbonna, a retired Permanent Secretary from the Rivers State civil service, was also elected as the running mate to Abe.
The Chairman of the SDP Substitution Electoral Committee, Alhaji Muhammed Ibrahim, declared Abe, who scored 30 votes, the winner of the election and advised members of the party to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
He said: “Today, we have elected a credible candidate for the governorship election in Rivers State. Let me thank all of you for conducting yourselves peacefully and for electing a very popular candidate in the person of distinguished Senator Magnus Abe as the governorship candidate of the party for Rivers State.
“For those of you who are yet to register and collect your PVCs, please ensure that you do so before the expiration of the deadline as slated by INEC. I am very confident that with a quality candidate like Senator Magnus Abe, SDP will become the ruling party in Rivers state come 2023”.
A former member of the House of Representatives and a leader of Rivers state chapter of SDP, Elder Chidi Wihioka, commended INEC for its efforts in ensuring free, fair and credible elections.
He said the Osun state governorship experience was an indication that people could cast their votes with confidence.