Senator Magnus Abe representing Rivers State South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, on Friday advised ousted gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, Tonye Cole, to stop raining abuses on the judiciary and Nigerian judges over the unfortunate situation the party found itself.

Abe said he was surprised that rather than thank Rivers people who came out in their thousands to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari and condemn the needless violence that characterized the elections in some parts of the state, Mr. Cole came out to abuse the Nigerian judiciary and ascribe every vote received by the APC to his and that of the Minister of Transportation Hon Rotimi Ameachi.

The Senator, who spoke while addressing party supporters that came to celebrate the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the February 23 election with him at his residence in Abuja, reminded Mr. Cole that it is a known fact that elections did not take place in his (Cole) Local Government Area and that of the Minister of Transportation.

He said: “I and other leaders of the APC gathered our scarce private resources to mobilise party members in all 23 local government areas of the state, and APC members responded by coming out in their thousands to vote for Mr. President.”

Apparently making a veiled reference to Hon Amaechi, his estranged political partner, who allegedly controls the financial cash cow of the APC, Abe said: “No one should denigrate the contributions of others. This was not Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nigeria Maritime Administration and Security Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Railway or Presidential Campaign Council funds. This was money contributed by APC leaders out of love for Mr. President and his contributions to Rivers people.

“Mr. Cole and his co-travelers have no right to lay claim to every vote as that of their efforts and of Amaechi alone. He should acknowledge the contributions of other leaders.

“Whatever the motive of his press conference, he should try to achieve it without running down the contributions of other leaders.

“Name calling and trying to blackmail other leaders will not solve the challenges facing the party in Rivers State. Rather, humility and genuine introspection that acknowledges that mistakes were made, will help us to heal and move forward.”

Senator Abe, however, advised Cole and Amaechi to look inwards for the real reason the party is in the quagmire it has found itself.

According to him, “After all, the judges were in their courtrooms when the APC leadership took the decision to exclude members from party congresses, collect over N18 million from party members, deny them their constitutional rights as party members, publicly disobey the courts, physically attack the judiciary, and proceed in wanton and open display of contempt to use delegates that had been twice voided to elect Mr. Cole.

“Mr. Cole should also remember that he landed in the middle of a raging conflict with no idea of what was even going on in the party.

“People know that the 22 members of the APC who went to court on behalf of other party members, have contributed more to the APC in Rivers State than Mr. Cole and they are major stakeholders in the party as pioneer ward chairmen. They were part of those who put their lives on the line to build the APC in Rivers State.

“When the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government was chasing these same people, Mr. Cole was comfortably doing business with the same government. He never uttered a word against the hell that these people went through. He cannot simply turn up now with police and army by his side and begin to accuse the same people of working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the same party he just finished working with.

“If Cole is seeking a sincere leadership role in the APC, he should address the behavior of leaders within the party which has brought the party to this sorry state today.

“It is time for him to take a break and inquire inwards. The judges were in their court, we went to court. So instead of abusing the Nigerian judiciary, he should tell the world why people went to court and why an intra-party dispute could not be resolved within the party. What did he expect the judiciary to do in the circumstances? Fold their arms and allow innocent people to be humiliated and cheated without a remedy, and without consequences?

“The courts have effected the consequence, they equally provide a remedy.

“We should close this chapter of hate and join other Nigerians who are already moving to the next level. Rivers State should not be left behind.”

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