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Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has threatened to boycott the party’s primaries if it fails to adopt direct primaries as earlier advocated by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
Abe, who issued the threat during an APC mega rally in Rivers South-East senatorial district at Wiiyakara community, in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, also threatened to reject the result of the primaries if a candidate emerges through indirect process.
Abe, who is the senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, urged the party’s national leadership to reverse itself and conduct direct primaries in the state.
He said: “It is bad that we continue to worship individuals when we want change. It is clear that they are doing what they are doing because somebody has been appointed a DG (director-general). If they are doing this to please one person, then the party will not move forward. If the primaries in Rivers are not through direct primaries I will not take part and I will not accept the result.
“If we continue to be a nation where individuals are bigger than our institutions then something is wrong,” he said.
Abe told the party to remove his name from the list of aspirants if they are bent on indirect primaries.
“Today, I stand here to assure you that nobody is bigger than all of us. It is the responsibility of the party to provide a level playing ground for all the aspirants. I hereby serve them a notice that they should remove my name from the list of the contestants. I will not participate in a process that has already been determined.
“I will not be part of the coronation of a king that will not be crowned. They are telling people that they will retire me from politics, but no one can retire me from the heart of my people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State on Friday said it was ready for the governorship primary in the state.
State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Chris Finebone, said that while the direct mode of election was adopted for the presidential primaries in Rivers State, indirect mode of election would be used for Sunday’s governorship primary in the state.
Finebone explained that all hands were on deck to ensure a successful conduct of the exercise in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
“All hands are on deck to ensure a successful governorship primary scheduled for Sunday, September 30, 2018 in Port Harcourt. The APC held its presidential primaries across the 319 wards of Rivers State on Friday.
“Reports collated at the APC State Secretariat, 63 Aba Road, Port Harcourt by the Presidential Primaries Returning Officer for Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, a total of 388,653 party members across the state voted for the only presidential aspirant of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The election, which was based on the direct mode of primary earlier adopted by the National Working Committee/National Executive Council of the party for the exercise was witnessed by INEC electoral officers in the 23 LGAs of the state. Also on hand to witness the primaries were the various Divisional Police Officers across the state.
“Whereas the 319 ward party secretaries served as Ward Returning Officers, the 23 LGA secretaries of the party served as LGA Returning Officers,” Finebone said in a statement issued in Port Harcourt.
