By Seyi Babalola
Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, the gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, has stated why he abandoned his appeal contesting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s win in the state.
Following the state’s governorship election, Abe and his party petitioned the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal to overturn the victory of Governor Nyesom Wike’s PDP candidate, Siminalayi Fubara.
However, Abe, who was accused of being used by Governor Wike to demolish the Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC), and his party announced last week that they had withdrawn the case from the tribunal.
In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson, Abe said the case was withdrawn because he does not want to enter into a direct confrontation with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect.
He said this is because Wike and the G-5 governors have already formed an alliance with Tinubu and he, Abe, will not continue to fight the Rivers State helmsman.
According to him: “The dynamics of the politics have changed. Wike and the G-5 now have an alliance with the APC at the national level and that alliance affects the dynamics of what is happening in the state.
“Now, we looked at it that if we continue our battle in the court at this point, we will end up in direct confrontation with the President-elect, who has clearly by his body language and the alliance between the APC and the G-5, taken a clear position as far as the issue is concerned.
“If we continue with this battle, we will be continuing on our own and we will not be able to get any institutional support.”
