– Says Rivers State Does Not Belong To One Man
Former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has issued a warning to the political leaders in the state, urging them to exercise restraint in the ongoing political tension in the state.
Abe who gave the warning while Speaking in an interview with Super F.M Radio Station in Port Harcourt, spoke on the backdrop of recent developments in the state’s polity which led to the resignation of the Speaker of the State Assembly and his subsequent reappointment as the Governor’s Chief of Staff.
While commending Governor Fubara for promptly adhering to the resolutions mediated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end the political feud with his predecessor Nyesom Wike, Abe however, criticized the move to recall and reappoint certain officials who had resigned their positions over loyalty concerns.
He advised the Governor to tread cautiously and not to fall for the antics of the FCT Minister by accepting those with questionable loyalty back in his cabinet.
He said, “I think that those who agreed to serve the government of Rivers State should serve the government of Rivers State. It doesn’t matter who appointed you. It doesn’t matter how you got there. But when you get there, you take an oath with our Constitution on the Bible, that you will serve the state.
“It is wrong for a state official to resign over a disagreement with an individual. That disqualifies him from public service. That’s my own understanding.
“I think that whatever the disagreement may have been between the governor and the FCT minister, those who have taken an oath to serve, should serve our state.
“There can only be one governor at a time. If those who are called to help the governor to serve the state, genuinely serve the state, we will make progress. It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks or does.
“If the governor decides to do that, that is very beautiful; it is totally within his prerogative to appoint whoever he wants to appoint. But those individuals who resigned, they themselves, are they ready to go back to eat their vomit? Because you have said that you’re resigning for personal reasons, you left the service of the state. Now, there is an agreement that says you can go back; do you now go back and say no, those personal reasons don’t exist again? I think that, for a man at some point, you must have ideals that are beyond the present. Everything cannot be about today.
Abe concluded by emphasising the need for the focus to shift from political power struggles to addressing the crucial issues affecting the people of Rivers State, urging political leaders to avoid prioritising loyalty over integrity, competence, and capacity.
