The All Progressives Congress (APC) River State has celebrated the return of Senator Magnus Abe to the party.
In a press statement the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Rivers State APC, Chief Tony Okocha, welcomed Abe to the APC with open arms, describing him as a valued asset to the party.
Okocha stated that Senator Abe had been very conspicuous in the political history of Rivers State, having occupied positions of trust and responsibilities either as elected representative or appointed into crucial offices in the state at one time or the other, stressing that he exuded capacity and intellectual confidence to the point of a role model.
Recalling his contributions in the Rivers State House of Assembly as a lawmaker under the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999, Okocha said: “In an Assembly dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, Senator Magnus Abe of the All Peoples Party (APP) was a vocal voice.
“Many spectators made their way to the Assembly auditorium gallery to listen to the upcoming cicero, who became the Minority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“He thrilled his fans with sound reasoning and erudition so much so that the rule of not clapping in the Assembly auditorium/ gallery was sometimes unconsciously broken.
“Being a thorn on the flesh of the ruling PDP, efforts were intensified to get him over to add value from the parlance of the ruling party rather than continue to rock the boat through profound opposition stance.”
It was therefore not surprising to Okocha that the former minority leader who was drafted into the ruling party, was assigned the portfolio of the Commissioner for Information.
Abe, according to Okocha, served out his tenure meritoriously, winning several awards from the Nigerian Union of Journalists and other related bodies. “He graduated into the office of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government and later elected into the Nigerian Senate twice,” the Rivers APC Chairman said.
Having decamped to the APC from the PDP on the floor of the Senate then without minding whether his seat would be declared vacant, Okocha said Senator Magnus Abe was pivotal to the defection of many top PDP members to the APC in 2014 in Rivers state.
The Rivers APC Chairman recalled further sacrifices of Senator Abe in Rivers APC, including the Rumuola debacle that nearly led to the loss of his life and his contributions to Tinubu’s presidential ambition, although, he later left for SDP.
“As typical of politicians who know their onions, Senator Magnus Abe doesn’t support the politics of animosity and enmity. He is purpose-driven and result-oriented strategist.
He has on his own votion, decided to return to the party he sacrificed a lot and almost lost his life for.
It is most thoughtful and commendable,” Okocha said, and enjoined him to bring to the fore his vast experience in Party building as well as his profound commitment to the growth and development of Rivers State.
