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Tag: Abe

  • Sunshine Stars more focused than ever, says Abe

    Sunshine Stars more focused than ever, says Abe

    Sunshine Stars captain, Abe Sunday has revealed that the team is more focused than before after their victory over MFM FC of Lagos in a week 24 match of the Nigeria Professional Footbal League (NPFL) in Akure last weekend.

    Abe stated this during the presentation of cash gifts to the team and individual awards by the club management led by the President Prince John Ola Mafo following the victory.

    “As a group, we have made up our minds not to rest on our oars until we achieve the set targets. The regular encouragement and motivation being received by the players have gone a long way in changing our mentality”.

    “We shall continue to work hard in a bid to bring smiles to the faces of the soccer loving people of the state especially Mr Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko who is our number one supporter”.

    The Technical Adviser of the Owena Waves, Solomon Ogbeide restated the team’s commitments to do everything within their reach to actualise the ambition of the Akure based team this soccer season.

    Coach Ogbeide said, “We shall continue to be grateful for what God is doing through the management in the life of the team. We have every course to appreciate the efforts of the management as they always bring out the best from the players”.

    Earlier, the club President, Prince John Ola Mafo who commended the players for the performance against MFM FC, charged them to remain focused.

    According to him, with hard work, dedication, determination, commitment, and unity as well as self sacrifice, the Akure based team will realise its ambition this soccer season.

    The ODSFA boss said the welfare of the players will continue to receive utmost attention.

  • Rivers violence: Senator Abe, PDP chairman disagree over commission of inquiry

    Rivers violence: Senator Abe, PDP chairman disagree over commission of inquiry

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in the March 19 rerun, Senator Magnus Abe, has disagreed with the state’s Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, over the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Governor Nyesom Wike to investigate the violence that greeted the recent rerun elections in Rivers State.

    The committee is expected to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the violence.

    Abe, through his spokesperson, Saroh Benson, yesterday in Port Harcourt, expressed shock that Obuah decided to cast aspersions on him, an illustrious son of the state.

    The Rivers PDP chairman, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, had said that the APC’s senatorial candidate may have become too aggressive or lost sense of judgment because of his desperation for power.

    Reacting to the comment, Benson said: “The derogatory comments on Senator Abe were uncalled for, as PDP has been inconsistent, double-speaking and mischievous on the issues of the elections.

    “At a time, the Rivers Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had accused President Mohammadu Buhari of using the military, through the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, to intimidate Rivers people and rig the election.

    “At another time, Wike commended President Buhari for not interfering in the March 19 re-run elections. The Rivers governor and the PDP had also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of working with the APC to rig the election by printing fake result sheets. But in the statement, Obuah exonerated INEC of any complicity in the elections in favour of APC, as well as accepted the results emanating from the so-called fake result sheets.

    Obuah, however, described Abe’s comments on the judicial commission of inquiry as unpatriotic, and alleged that no election took place in Tai LGA during the rerun.

    The PDP chairman said: “Magnus Abe, as a lawyer and a former senator, ought to know better the electoral law and how government operates, also being once an SSG.

    “We are shocked at Abe’s utterances and have no other deduction than to say that he is against the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, because he hugely benefited from the crisis and will do anything to scuttle any effort to restore peace, law and order in the state..

    “There is no doubt that Governor Nyesom Wike remains the chief security officer of the state. And as the circumstance demands, he has done the right thing and the needful to checkmate the rate of crimes and violence in the state, of which the setting up of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry is one measure.’’

  • Abe urges supporters to defend themselves

    Abe urges supporters to defend themselves

    Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candiate in last week’s rerun, Magnus Abe, has urged his supporters to defend themselves against those he called Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attackers.

    He said APC members and supporters should watch out for gun-wielding suspected thugs of the PDP, who might unleash mayhem on the opposition.

    Abe, who chaired the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) in the Seventh National Assembly, spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    The senator condemned the killings by suspected PDP thugs during last Saturday’s legislative rerun in the 23 local governments, especially in his Southeast District.

    But the state’s PDP Chairman Felix Obuah called for his  arrest and prosecution.

    Obuah condemned Abe for allegedly calling for violence, describing him as a desperate politician.

    Abe, who hails from Bera-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government, said: “In light of the present situation, we have no other option but to either withdraw from the race or to call on our members to defend themselves.

    “Giving the overwhelming support I enjoy from the people of the Rivers Southeast, I cannot withdraw from the race. I am on a journey that can only end in victory, because we have the people with us. The only thing they have against us is the inability of security agencies to protect our members.

    “I am calling on my supporters across Rivers Southeast and members of the APC, to defend themselves and protect the life and property of our members.

    “From today, anywhere any member of the APC is harassed, there will be a response. Anywhere, from today, where fire is opened on members of the APC in this senatorial district, there will be a response.

    “Anybody who has two heads should bring out his second head to do whatever he wants to do within the senatorial district. Whatever affects the lives or threatens the lives of our members, we will no longer tolerate it. We are not women and we are not children too.

    “We have men, women and youths who are members of this party. From now on, we will defend ourselves. We will protect our members and do whatever is necessary to secure our lives and secure the lives of our members.”

    The former secretary to the Rivers State government (SSG) recalled that after the attacks and shootings in Gokana Local Government last Saturday, some people opened fire on his home.

    Abe said it was by the grace of God and the help of some policemen attached to him that an ugly incident was averted.

    He said: “This is despite the fact that these people had carried coffins with my name on it; no action was taken. My office (at Bori-Ogoni) was burnt; no action was taken. We had been attacked three times at our rallies; no action was taken.

    “I have talked about Mr. Pabi, who was abducted in front of his people. His wife and children have been crying on radio and television; no action was taken. So, we have no option, after our experience last Saturday, but to call on our members to defend themselves.”

    Abe recalled that during the March 19 rerun, there was zero security presence, especially in his senatorial district.

    The senator said nothing was done to the threats to the lives of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) workers and APC members.

    But Obuah condemned Abe’s directive to his supporters.

    He said: “Abe’s violent disposition has never been in doubt. His desperation to represent those who do not want him to represent them has made him to adopt a do-or-die approach, not only in his pattern of politics but (also) in his general activities.”

  • Abe condemns assassination attempt on Peterside, others

    Abe condemns assassination attempt on Peterside, others

    •Senator urges Buhari to probe Rivers violence

    • The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in last weekend’s rerun election, Magnus Abe, has condemned Sunday’s alleged assassination attempt on the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside; APC’s State Chairman, Chief Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, and the party’s former deputy governorship candidate in last year’s general election, Honourable Asita O. Asita.

    In a statement by his aide, Parry Saroh Benson, the senator said the escalating violence in the state was barbaric, aimed at truncating democracy.

    Abe urged President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the violence in the state under the Nyesom Wike administration.

    He cited last Saturday incident in Gokana Local Government Area, where suspected thugs loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disrupted the elections and threw dynamites into the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Abe said the hoodlums also opened fire on security personnel, scaring away voters, electoral officials and other innocent Nigerians.

    The senator noted that such actions had become too frequent among PDP’s leaders.

    He urged the Federal Government to prevent further killings and loss of property in the state.

    Abe added: “It is clear that the great burden of governance and its responsibility can no longer be shouldered by people who do not understand the meaning of civic responsibility.”

     

  • Rivers APC condemns attacks on Abe

    Rivers APC condemns attacks on Abe

    The Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the mindless blackmail of its candidate in Rivers Southeast  rerun, Senator Magnus Abe, and the party, on the military operation in Yeghe-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government.

     It wondered why the government and its agents could take their propaganda to such ridiculous level.

      APC insisted that the violence in Ogoni followed the remarks by Governor Nyesom Wike at the 50th birthday of Senator Lee Maeba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Khana, last Saturday, where he declared that the re-election of Senator Abe must be stopped at all cost.

     Rivers APC, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, noted that in line with the position of the party to be cautious and circumspect about security matters, it restrained itself from commenting on the security operations by the Army and other security agencies.

      It, however, said given the unsavoury statements by some opportunistic individuals before and after the violence in Khana and Gokana, especially the barrage of propaganda and blackmail, ostensibly sponsored by the government against Senator Abe and other APC leaders, it became imperative to correct the destructive narratives bandied to deceive the Ogoni and other Nigerians.

      APC said: “Fired by the governor’s war cry, a group of cultists and hoodlums on the payroll of the PDP, descended on Senator Magnus Abe’s campaign liaison building in Bori (headquarters of Khana LGA) and razed it. Despite the huge loss, Senator Abe pleaded with his supporters to remain calm and not to seek revenge.

     “The Rivers State Security Council, headed by Governor Wike, authorised and was aware of the security operations in Ogoni to sanitise the area of criminals, but the government has resorted to sponsoring groups and individuals to blackmail Senator Abe as the person responsible for the presence of the military in Ogoni land. The government is also blackmailing the military by activating their stooges to condemn the military.

     “The APC condemns this sort of dishonest and despicable behaviour.

      “Worse still, it appears that top officials of the government might have compromised the privileged information about the security operations by the Army, resulting in the escape of key suspects with PDP links and exposing the military personnel to danger, as they were reportedly ambushed by well-armed militants.”

  • Abe accuses Wike of instigating violence

    Abe accuses Wike of instigating violence

    •Governor justifies soldiers’ presence  •MOSOP seeks withdrawal of military

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District’s March 19 rerun, Senator Magnus Abe, has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of instigating violence.

    Abe’s senatorial Liaison Office in Bori-Ogoni, the headquarters of Khana Local Government, was burnt on Monday.

    Speaking yesterday in Port Harcourt, Abe told his supporters to consider the incident as a sacrifice and not to turn the state into a theatre of war. He pleaded with his supporters to remain calm.

    Soldiers from the 2 Brigade in Port Harcourt, on Monday, stormed the Yeghe-Ogoni, Gokana Local Government hometown of a former militant leader, Solomon Ndigbara, aka Osama bin Laden, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), leading to gunshots.

    Thugs gathered and burnt Abe’s senatorial Liaison Office, while three persons were feared dead when the attack was hijacked by cultists, according to witnesses.

    The APC chieftain sympathised with families that lost their dear ones, while praying that God should give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

    He assured the people that the perpetrators would be fished out, insisting that nobody was above the law.

    Abe said it was inhuman, wicked and callous for people to kill and maim their fellow citizens, just for power.

    Wike yesterday called on residents of  Khana and Gokana local governments, who fled their homes following military  presence in the area  to return  to  their homes.

    The governor said the military presence was aimed at securing life and property and not to harm law-abiding residents.

    In a statement by Simeon Nwakaudu, special assistant to the governor on Electronic Media, Wike assured the people of their safety.

    The  governor said his administration  would enhance  the  security of residents, urging  the  people of Khana and Gokana to cooperate  with  security agencies to maintain  law and order.

    But the President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People(MOSOP), Legborsi Pyagbara, has condemned the presence of the military, and called for their withdrawal from Ogoniland.

    Pyagbara said: “MOSOP condemns the military occupation of Ogoniland. This sole invasion of Ogoni communities has defiled military/civil conduct, I have not seen anywhere in the cause of search for criminals, you have to criminalise communities.

    “What has happened to intelligence gathering? Are they telling us that their intelligence has failed? In one single operation the communities are invaded and many people are on the run. As of now, we hear 12 people died. There is no reason that can justify this kind of military operation in Ogoni. They are returning us back to 1994.”

     

     

  • Abe: I have confidence in Judiciary

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Rivers Southeast in the March 28 National Assembly election, Magnus Ngei Abe, has said he never described the Judiciary as 419.

    The senator said he had confidence in the Judiciary, adding that he would continue to hold judicial officers in high esteem.

    Abe was reacting at the weekend to a statement credited to him that he impugned on the integrity of the Judiciary when he addressed his supporters at his Bera hometown in Gokana Local Government Area.

    The senator said he was misinterpreted in his remarks, following the judgment by the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, which struck out his petition against Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He noted that it was the condition the tribunal gave him to provide witnesses from every unit in his senatorial district within five days that he described as 419, and not the Judiciary.

    Abe said there was no election in Rivers State, particularly in his Gokana Local Government Area, in the March 28 and April 11 elections.

    The senator hinted that he would appeal the judgment.

    Abe said: “…Everybody in Nigeria knows that there was no election in Rivers State. The outcome of our case at the tribunal was not satisfactory. So, we have decided, in keeping with the decision of the APC in Rivers State, that we must seek justice for you and for all of us.

    “We have decided that we must proceed to the Court of Appeal to appeal against the decision of the lower court. A lot of comments have been made about the decision of the court. Most regrettably, one of the comments that people keep referring to is to say that Senator Abe said it was judicial 419. In making reference to that comment, everybody else forgot everything else that I said in that comment.”

  • Abe warns APC against non-zoning of political offices

    A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and lawmaker representing Rivers Southeast in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe has urged the leadership of the party not to jettison the zoning of political offices.

    In a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, Abe said: “In a fragile democracy like ours, we can’t ignore a fundamental issue like zoning of political offices among component parts of a federal structure where every section expects a voice.

    “Let us not wish away fairness, balance and national character in the occupation of strategic offices. Incidentally, there are capable hands with solid character in this country that can hold their own in every endeavour”.

    The senator said Nigeria was yet to overcome ethnic and religious sentiments in political considerations, noting that disregard for geo-political zones and interest groups in the sharing of offices could be costly.

    “We cannot suddenly claim not to believe in zoning because it was zoning that gave birth to Buhari (Northwest), Osinbajo (Southwest), and Oyegun (Southsouth), as President, Vice President and Party Chairman respectively”, Abe said.

  • ‘Plot to malign Abe will fail’

    ‘Plot to malign Abe will fail’

    The Magnus Abe Campaign Organisation has said it is aware of plots to malign the character of the senator.

    In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, by its Head, Media and Publicity, Honour Sirawoo, the organisation said the plan would fail because it was anchored on falsehood.

    The organisation was reacting to comments by Rivers State Governor-elect Nyesom Wike on a live TV programme monitored in Port Harcourt.

    Wike was said to have accused Abe of orchestrating the attack on a home in Bera, Gokana Local Government Area.

    But the organisation said it would have ignored the “irresponsible comment” but for its misleading impact on the public.

    It said: “We are aware of gang-up against our senator with a view to assassinating his hard-earned reputation. But such enterprise will fail because it is based on falsehood.”

    The organisation expressed shock that even if Wike’s comment was part of a plot to get rid of Abe, following what it called “based on available information”, it added that Wike, being a lawyer, should have considered the implication of his utterance.

    The statement said: “Those in leadership positions owe the society the duty of being wary of their actions, utterances and the way they whip up sentiments, because of the sensitive nature of our environment.”

    It cautioned those celebrating today, following “their perceived victory in the purported elections in Rivers State” to look for better ways of wriggling out of the situation they created, instead of using Abe’s name as subterfuge.

    The organisation urged All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Rivers State to be steadfast.

    It assured that the rape of democracy, which the state suffered during the elections, would be subjected to “appropriate legal responses”.

  • Abe blames Fed Govt for Rivers bad roads

    Abe blames Fed Govt for Rivers bad roads

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Magnus Abe, has blamed the transport challenges facing the people of Bonny in Rivers State on Federal Government’s failure to complete the Bodo-Bonny Road.

    This followed the spate of boat mishaps on the Bonny River.

    The senator urged churches and other organisations not to accept gifts from politicians without ascertaining the source of the gifts, especially as the electioneering period draws close.

    Abe spoke at this year’s general harvest thanksgiving service of St. Stephen’s Anglican Cathedral, Bonny, with the theme: Harvesting in the Beauty of Holiness, taken from 2 Chronicle 16:29

    The senator, who is also the Chancellor of the Diocese of Ogoni (Anglican Communion), observed a minute silence in honour of those who died in the boat mishap.

    He read the first lesson at the service drawn from 2 Chronicle 16:23-29.

    Abe recounted the efforts of the Rivers State Government to complete the road.

    He said: “Governor Rotimi Amaechi pleaded with the Federal Government to allow the state take over the construction, but the appeal, for whatever reason unknown to Rivers people, was turned down.