A Rivers State senator insists he is the governorship candidate of Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, in Rivers and will emerge governor in 2019.
Magnus Abe, who is in court asking to be declared the candidate of the APC, warned the APC headquarters not to recognise anyone else as its governorship candidate.
The senator spoke during a crossover church service on Monday in Bera, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Mr Abe said God asked him to contest the governorship position in the state in 2019.
“One thing that I will like to share with all of you is that I know that this particular journey that I am on, to run for the governorship of Rivers State in 2019, it is my God that asked me to go and do this.
“And that is why no machination of men, no work of the hand of man, no artificial obstacle created by men will stop our dream from coming true.”
The politician said he believes he will win the 2019 governorship election on the APC platform despite not being currently recognised as the candidate of the party.
“We will not only run for the governorship of Rivers State in 2019, we will be sworn-in as the Governor of Rivers State in 2019,” he said.
“So for me, I am not afraid; we will continue our struggle,” he said.
The APC in Rivers has two factions: one led by transport minister Rotimi Amaechi and the other by Mr Abe. The faction loyal to Mr Amaechi produced businessman Tonye Cole as its governorship candidate and is recognised by the party’s national headquarters.
However, both a high court and the appeal court has nullified the congresses that produced the Ojukaye Flag-Amachree leadership loyal to Mr Amaechi.
Mr Abe made reference to the court judgements on Monday, warning the APC not to recognise any primary or candidate produced by Mr Flag-Amachree’s faction.
“You cannot have a situation that a court had said does not exist. The High Court said so, the Court of Appeal had said so and then you still go ahead to pretend it exists.
“In any contest in a democracy where the rule of law is supreme, any contest between any man and the law, however powerful that man will be, at the end of the day, the laws will prevail. All APC members in Rivers State should remain calm and focused on victory,” he said.
“You focus on what is important, and what is important to all of us here now, is that we have approached the court to declare us as the lawful candidates of the party because we were the product of the lawful congresses that was held by the APC in Rivers State. There was no other one.”
Despite his optimism, Mr Abe faces a herculean ask in his desire to be Rivers governor in 2019. Although a former ally of Mr Amaechi, his fall out with the miniser, has seen him lose the APC ticket to Mr Cole. Both men, Messrs Amaechi and Abe, have blamed each other for their fallout.
However, should Mr Abe even be declared APC governorship candidate, he would have to defeat the incumbent governor, Nyesom Wike of the PDP. Mr Wike, one of the PDP’s most influential governors, is seeking re-election.
In his New Year message on Monday, Mr Abe described 2019 as a year of hope.
“it is the prayer of everybody that this year, will witness an improvement in your own homes.
“I believe that there is no power on earth that can stop the desire of a people whose time has come and I believe that, this time, our time has come. No power can stop us. Amen. So we put everything in the hands of Almighty God.”