Senator Magnus Abe, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last general election, has accused Governor Nyesom Wike’s administration in Rivers of spending over N1 trillion on live television coverage across all major television networks.
He said it was one of the reasons why a party led by a man who was neither a Governor nor a sitting Senator was able to capture the massive support and goodwill of Rivers people within three months.
He also said that the President-elect Bola Tinubu was stoned at Rivers State airport in 2015 by the same people who were present at a dinner organized for him during the week.
Abe who insisted that violence had been unleashed on Rivers people, made this known on Thursday night in a statement posted on his social media handles.
He asserted that Tinubu knows the high-level violence being unleashed on the people of the state, adding that he was also a victim of the violence as he was stoned at Port Harcourt airport in 2015.
According to the statement titled, ‘How Times Change’, Abe said Tinubu knows from experience that he is not a liar and that he didn’t collect money from him or anyone and just pocket it.
He said: “I had prepared a lengthy statement in response to the diatribe against me at the state dinner last night.”
However, having spoken with some mutual friends and out of respect for the fact that the President-Elect, His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu is still in Rivers State, I have decided to hold my peace.
“Just to set the records straight, His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu himself knows from experience that I am not a liar and that I didn’t collect money from him or anyone and just put in my pocket.
“When I talked about the violence unleashed on Rivers people he knows am telling the truth because he has been a victim himself.
“He was stoned at that same airport in 2015 when he came here with then General Buhari, so he has tasted that experience; those who arranged to stone him and those who stoned him were at the dinner.
“Over the past eight years, Rivers State Government has spent over a trillion naira on live coverage across all major television networks, yet the 10 minutes I appear on TV can spoil someone’s appetite at a state dinner.
“Flyovers and free and fair elections are not mutually exclusive, we can have both; in fact, we did not have to substitute flyovers for every thing else including education for our children, promotion for our civil servants, respect for our citizens and traditional rulers, and a clear plan for the growth of our young population.
“That was the reason a non existent party led by a man who was neither a Governor, nor a sitting Senator was able to capture the massive support and goodwill of Rivers people within three months.”
“I have withdrawn my petition at the election tribunal, and am at peace, please let us all allow peace to reign,” he added.
