… Abe, others set the stage
Former Governor of Lagos State and one of the foremost leaders of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu has gotten off to an interesting start in Rivers.
A rally held a few days ago at Elele to launch BATS-V, a pro-Tinubu group in Rivers turned out such a stunning crowd.
Interestingly, Ikwerre Local Government Area is the home base of the Minister. The number of people who besieged Elele for Tinubu, some how, has got tongues wagging.
An obviously delighted representative of the presidential aspirant declared, “River(s) is with Tinubu, Tinubu is with River(s).”
He urged members of the inaugurated Vanguard working with the Jagaban in the State not to relent in their effort to take the Tinubu message to the people.
Senator Wilson Ake said Tinubu is the best prepared Nigerian among all those who are aspiring for the presidency.
He acknowledged that the frontline politician made his day when became the first to say he is in the race to fulfill a life long ambition to be president of Nigeria.
Insisting that such a declaration was a clear reflection of Tinubu’s level of preparedness for the top job, Ake said it was payback time for Tinubu’s support.
He recalled how Amaechi and his supporters, which included them, were literally chased out of the PDP, and said Tinubu had given a helping hand to Rivers people who rallied around Amaechi when the APC was being conceived.
Tony Okocha, State Coordinator of BATS-V stressed that Tinubu would emerge as the next president of the country through the effective mobilisation of the masses.
Noting that members of Vanguard have set up to mobilize, the former Chief of Staff to the Governor assured that the team would work tenaciously for the victory of the APC presidential aspirant who hails from the Southwest.
Chidi Wihioka, former member of the House of Representatives said he was not aware of the ambition of any Rivers person seeking to contest the presidential election on the platform of the APC.
“We have come to tell the whole world”, the former lawmaker asserted, that they are standing solidly behind Tinubu.
Describing Tinubu as a dependable and visionary leader, Wihioka affirmed that he has all it takes to salvage Nigeria.
“By Tinubu I stand” Wihioka stressed from the podium, “By Tinubu, I will continue to stand.”
Politics is getting more interesting as politicians begin to march again in search of votes and public support.
As the momentum intensifies in Rivers, there appears to have been a slight upswing in the fortunes of the Abe squad, especially since Tinubu surfaced in the open as a presidential aspirant.
Not much has been said of late about the fight on the home front between Amaechi and his former Secretary to Government, Senator Magnus Abe.
The fact is, the narrative is changing. Immense public attention is turning in the direction of national politics, and the gradual emergence of men who want to rule Nigeria.
Rivers may transform into one of the battleground states if utmost care is not taken when the race opens.
Although Amaechi seemingly has an edge in terms of control of the party machine at this time, there are however signs that Abe and his team will likely play catch-up in the months to come.
A fight is going on in court, observers are quick to point out, and Abe and his friends are challenging the emergence of Chief Emeka Beke and others who have been elected as party officers.
“No man will ever again claim to be APC State Chairman after today except me”, Beke declared in a statement issued hours ago.
“I have my mandate as the duly elected Chairman of this Party in Rivers State. If he tries it he will be made to face the law”, he added.
It was perhaps, a warning to Hon. Golden Ben Chioma, a lawyer and politician who heads a parallel State executive committee.
The court has not ruled Ben Chioma out of order. The court is expected to reconvene a day or two after the date set for the National Convention of the APC, when hopefully the presiding judge would take a position.
Meanwhile, pro – Tinubu forces are allegedly planning to commit more resources to the fight for the political soul of the Rivers State, according to what we are hearing.
Tinubu is determined to actualise his life long ambition, but he would have the Amaechi challenge to tuck away.
Insiders say the political surge being seen in Rivers in the Ikwerre and Kalabari areas may be the product of a strong desire by the Tinubu group to send an unmistakable message to Amaechi right from his home base.
Abe the other day in the Rivers West got more followers from the Kalabari speaking areas who turned out to follow him.
2023, observers note, promises to be completely different from 2019, given the way events are beginning to unfold in the State.
It would be tough, rough and bumpy as the gladiators in the APC get closer to D-day.
It would not be an easy choice either for the people to make when the time comes.
Somehow, 2023 is likely to settle quite a lot of scores and set the records, which dot the political landscape, straight.