With the commencement of the sales of nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress APC across the country, one candidatewho will definitely be the focus of most Nigerians will be Sen. Magnus NgeiAbe. The reason why he be will be the cynosure of all eyes will not be connected to his seeming disagreement with the leader of the party in the state but because his election will show to Nigerians that courage will always tower above cowardice. While other aspirants in the state failed to show courage while intimidation soared, Sen. Abe showed brevity in declaring his intention to contest the position for governor under the All Progressives Congress APC. He was berated by some party members who lampooned him and called him all sorts of names. Some even said he had become a distraction to the party and a mole of the PDP. But the indefatigable Ogoni born Senator continued with the struggle to show that democracy rests on freedom to seek for elective positions and freedom to vote for the person of one’s choice. Senator Abe opted for freedom to seek for the position of Governor of the state and did his best despite intimidations, propaganda, harassment etc. to show Rivers people that he was ready to be their governor. As a member of the All Progressives Congress APC in the state, I must confess that I was enchanted by the courage of the onetime Secretary to the State Government under Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi’s first term administration. He showed Rivers people and Nigerians alike all what the party stands for which is to resist intimidation, impunity, imposition and all forms of negativity that has become a threat to democracy in the country – attitudes which made a lot of us to abandon the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and opted for the APC which detests such. This principled stand of Sen. Abe will definitely make him the cynosure of all eyes because whatever the outcome of the primaries may be, it will definitely go a long way to show if Nigerians and indeed the APC as a party is moving forward in enthroning democracy in the country. Aside my admiration for the courage and tenacity of Sen. Abe’s aspiration, I believe he has all it takes to make Rivers state great again. Courage without wisdom, experience and commitment to make positive change will amount to nothing but Sen. Abe sure has all this put together. He has the wisdom to decipher what the people of the state wants and how to move the state forward. He also has the experience of being in government and knowing what governance entails and how to make corrections appropriately. The commitment of Sen. Abe cannot be doubted. This is something even his greatest critics can hardly argue. If there is any assignment that has been given to him in all the positions he has been given since his political career, he has shown that he can deliver effectively and efficiently. As member of the Rivers State House of Assembly he performed wonderfully well despite being a member of the minority All Peoples Party APP then. It was based on his commitment to service that led to his appointment as commissioner for information during the second term administration of Governor Peter Odili. His performance as Commissioner for Information remains one of the best till date. He also showed the same trait as Secretary to the State Government under the present leader of the party. One other inconvertible fact about the amiable senator is that despite all the positions he has occupied, he has never been involved in any scandal or corruption cases which is one characteristic that the President wants from political leaders, especially those within the APC fold. How he has been able to stay clean despite all the positions he has occupied shows a man with the credibility to govern the state and develop it for the overall good of Rivers people. This is what the party has promised Nigerians and President Muhammadu Buhari has also done same as president. As I earlier posited, the primaries in Rivers State will definitely be in focus in the coming days and by the end of the whole exercise Nigerians will definitely have their say and by the special grace of God, the struggle will be worth the while
. –Asadu wrote in Abuja
