Sen. Abe wants free, fair, credible LG elections in Rivers

A former lawmaker, Sen. Magnus Abe, has  called on  Rivers’ Gov. Nyesom Wike to ensure that the local government elections holding in the state April are free, fair and credible.

The lawmaker represented the Rivers South Senatorial District on the platform of the APC while he was at the National Assembly.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Port Harcourt and signed by his spokesman, Mr Parry Benson, the former lawmaker equally objected to some dissenting voices in the APC in the state, who were of the opinion that the party should boycott the elections.

“I want to encourage any politician who wants to aspire to an office to take the bull by the horns; this is the time for you to test your teeth.

“Even if at the end you don’t win, you would have learnt valuable lessons and strategies with which to grow your political career,’’ he said.

According to him, political parties are vehicles made available to members who wish to aspire for political positions.

“The fact that we have different political parties does not mean that we are suddenly no longer Rivers people. It is not correct. And that is not how to grow the state.

“If we don’t come out to participate, how do we tell the world that the election was free or fair? How do we say what was wrong with an election we refused to partake in? How do we make elections better in Rivers State if we don’t come out and participate?

“The requirement to contest in an election is that you should be a member of a political party and we are members of the APC, and, therefore, eminently qualified to contest in the elections in Rivers State,’’ he said.

He urged residents in the state to come out en-masse and participate in the elections.

“Allow candidates to test their popularity for the people to decide who they want to run their affairs at the grassroots. That’s the purpose of politics,’’ he stated.

Abe also enjoined the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission to make the elections free and fair, and to give equal opportunities to all accredited political parties.

The former lawmaker said that election was meant for people who want to serve, adding that: “If they pick our people, they should be allowed to serve.’’

Abe promised to continue in the pursuit for justice in the APC in order to promote a better political model in Nigeria