For Daring Me, I Won’t Back Abe’s Governorship Bid – Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said he will not back the governorship ambition of Senator Magnus Abe for the 2019 election in Rivers State.
Amaechi, who is also the Leader of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, said this on Saturday during a meeting with the Ikwerre Chiefs and Elders’ Forum.
He said though there is no infighting within the APC in the State, he will not support Abe, the representative of Rivers South-East, who also said on Saturday that he would go ahead with his ambition with or without the support of the Minister.
Amaechi said: “There is no fight in the APC.
“I am not in any way stopping Abe from running for the governorship, but what I know is that I will not support him.
“Abe is daring me, an Ikwerre son.
“He is abusing me every day.
“I will ensure I use Ikwerre vote on him.”
Amaechi said his Ikwerre ethnic group had 1.1 million votes out of the 2.5 million eligible voters in the state.
He said the position of the governor in the state was rotational among the various ethnic groups, adding that it would amount to greed should Ikwerre hold on to power for more than 12 years.
The former governor said he would support a person from the riverine area to occupy the position of the governor for eight years before power would move to Ogoni.
He said: “At the moment, we have not chosen a candidate.
“Only God will decide who will become the next governor.”
But Abe, also on Saturday, said the power to decide the next governor of the state resides with the people.
Abe, who spoke during a victory thanksgiving/reception by the federal and state lawmakers elected on the platform of the APC in Rivers State, said: “Now is the time to put the interest of the state ahead of anything else.
“We must work together so that the people can benefit from the politics we play.”