Magnus Abe, a former senator from Rivers State, has said that it is a contradiction for any person to claim to love President Bola Tinubu and yet be ungrateful to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, because of the latter’s political support for the president.
“No one can claim to love Mr President and be ungrateful to our ‘Mr Project,’” Mr Abe stated on Tuesday in a thank-you message to Mr Tinubu, who recently nominated him to serve as the chair of the board of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
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“His (Wike) support at a critical point meant a lot to our success as a family and continues to be pivotal to the success of the Tinubu family in Rivers State, which he has reformed into a unique rainbow coalition called the RENEWED HOPE FAMILY,” Mr Abe added.
Mr Abe thanked the president for the appointment, and described him as “a father that rewards genuine loyalty and promotes competence”.
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“I will never stop following Tinubu,” he added.
“Let me also thank the ‘001 of the Tinubu political family in Rivers State’, the FCT Minister, the man who did what no other politician has ever been able to achieve — he delivered Rivers State to Tinubu and the APC in the most difficult election in the history of Nigerian politics,” the former senator said of Mr Wike, a former governor of Rivers.
“My friend, my brother, our Nyerishi, thank you. I and my family owe you what words cannot express. Thank you, sir.
“Finally, to Almighty God who makes all things possible, whose mercy alone endures forever, it is only on God’s foundation of life and good health that we can enjoy, compete and thrive, to you eternal father be all glory, praise and adoration forever and ever.
“To all my friends and well-wishers across the land, just praise God, ignore the naysayers, pay your tax, and support the reform agenda. Better days are coming for our country.”
Mr Abe dedicated the appointment to a radio listener whom he said had called in during a live programme to question his loyalty to Mr Tinubu, even when it appeared the president had abandoned him.
“My truthful answer then was that my love and support for President Tinubu was not just based on my expectations of reward, but on my conviction that the President will do things differently from every other leader, and Nigeria will be better, and the numbers will show that Nigeria is better.
“Today the President is doing things differently, and the numbers are beginning to show that Nigeria is on the right course.”
The former senator said with the appointment, President Tinubu has given him a “great and unique opportunity” to contribute to the transformation of Nigeria in a “key sector”.
He said his appointment has demonstrated once again “the unique qualities” that have made Mr Tinubu a “master of the game” and “why thousands of people like me have followed him over the years and millions more are following”.
Mr Abe, who represented Rivers South-East in the Senate for two terms, is a former NNPC board member and current chairman of the National Agency of the Great Green Wall. He is a long-standing member of the APC in Rivers.
The former senator’s ‘You can’t claim to love Tinubu, yet be ungrateful to Wike’ comment is coming amid renewed political tension between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the FCT minister. The Rivers House of Assembly began a fresh impeachment proceeding against the governor on Thursday.
READ ALSO: ‘Bad child’: Wike lists fresh grouse against Fubara amid political tension
The political tension arose after Mr Wike alleged that Mr Fubara had breached the terms of a peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
Mr Fubara recently defected from the PDP to the APC, apparently with the hope of receiving political protection from the ruling party.
The National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru, called on Mr Wike to resign as minister a few days ago, after Mr Wike warned him to steer clear of Rivers politics.
