Reason I’m Withdrawing My Petition Against INEC Over Rivers Poll — Magnus Abe

Magnus Abe, the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate for governor in Rivers State, has announced that he is withdrawing his complaint against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which had challenged the results of the governorship election on March 18 that had resulted in Siminaliayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) being declared the winner.

Abe announced this to party supporters on Sunday at the SDP state headquarters in Port Harcourt, the state’s capital.

He claimed that his desire to advance the state and his affection for it were what drove him to take this particular action.

Abe said, “The interest of our state has always been and will remain paramount to me. We cannot at any stage of our politics put our own interest above the interest of those who have sacrificed so much to follow us.

“We cannot also put our ego above every other consideration in our State. We must learn as politicians to be pragmatic and put the interest of Rivers State and Rivers people above every other interests.

“Having taken a very clear review of the situation in the state and what is happening in the state, I have decided, in consultation with the party both at the national and at the state, that I, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, will withdraw my petition at the Election Petitions Tribunal in the interest of those who have suffered and sacrificed in support of our cause.

“More importantly, it is the interest of our state so that we begin to reduce the bickering and confusion that is in our state, in order to give all of us opportunity to be able to move forward with our lives.

“I take this decision very conscious of the pain, of the trauma and of the confusion it will bring to all of you.”

Abe also denied allegations by the state government that he was demarketing the state in anticipation of a Federal Government appointment.

He maintained that those who blocked a major road in Port Harcourt at INEC’s gate and arrested lawyers in their hotel rooms from getting materials that could help their case in the courts are those who are demarketing the state.