Anyone who is familiar with the rather chequered political history of Mr Magnus Abe, the Senator representing Rivers South East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, and the author of a recent article in published on the back page of ThisDay Newspaper Vol 18, No 6504, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013 and titled, “Jonathan Vs Amaechi; in whose interest?” would hardly be surprised by the shear effrontery of this “political chameleon”, and his attempts to mislead, misinform and deceive the reading public.
Before I address some of the issues raised in this article, let me briefly remind the readers and Nigerians in general who Senator Magnus Ngei Abe really is.
1. Senator Magnus Abe has a history of working against the Ogoni people
during the most traumatic pe riod in their history, during the arrest, trial, and execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and other Ogoni heroes. He has remained opposed to the genuine aspirations of the Ogoni people and had never identified with the umbrella Ogoni organisation , the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP. Except recently, when to further his political ambitions, he suddenly starting draping himself in the Ogoni flag.
2. Senator Magnus Abe served under Sir Dr Peter Odili, the former Executive Governor of Rivers State as Commissioner for Information, as his rather outspoken spokesman.
3. Senator Magnus Abe named his first son, Peter at a rather colourful ceremony in Port Harcourt, after Dr Peter Odili, in appreciation of Dr Peter Odili’s support and benevolence to the Abe family. It is on record that Dr. Odili picked up Magnus Abe from the political gutter of the moribund Rivers State ANPP, brushed him up, and brought him to relevance in Rivers politics when even his own party had disowned him for hobnobbing with the PDP Government.
The speed with which Abe abandoned Chief Ebenezar Isokrari remains a political world record.
4. Magnus Abe embarked on a campaign to destroy Dr Odili, authored
several articles, petitions and was the brain behind the trial of Dr Peter Odili at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Rivers State.
Today Magnus Abe remains an ingrate, and an arch enemy of his greatest benefactor, Dr Peter Odili.
5. Magnus Abe is the only politician of Ogoni extraction to have been
publicly stoned by his own people; meaning a clear and complete rejection.
On January 4, 2011, the people of Ogoni, stoned Magnus Abe and drove him away from the Birabi Memorial Grammar School premises in Bori, venue of the Ogoni Day celebration.
6. On May 20, 2007, Magnus Abe organised and sponsored a victory party
for Sir Celestine Omehia (then Governor- elect of Rivers State); speaking at the ceremony attended by Media chiefs in the country, Magnus Abe congratulated Sir Omehia, described him as Godfearing, and pledged his support and loyalty.
7. Magnus Abe also subsequently, contacted Sir Celestine Omehia, after
he was sworn in as Governor of Rivers State, begging to be appointed either Secretary to the Government of Rivers State or to be made an Ambassadorial nominee.
8.Unable to secure these appointments, the ubiquitous Magnus Abe suddenly turned his back against Sir Celestine Omehia and became his political foe.
Recently, (on December 31, 2012), during a Youth Summit at his home town Bera, in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe informed some of the the youths that he had been anointed by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, as his successor.
One can now understand why the Senator Abe would dedicate a whole page in Thisday newspaper to surreptiously insert himself into simmering cold war between his current boss and the President; presumably, to secure the Governorship ticket allegedly promised him by Governor Amaechi. One only needs to carefully read in between the lines to see how gullible he must take his readers to be.
From the outset, he places the reader on alert that as a “close friend” of Governor Amaechi, he was unlikely to be objective. The rest of the self confessed biased article exposes Senator Abe to be of defective character.
For most of the article Abe ends up speaking to himself reminding us of his unreliability and untrust-worthy nature that has made him a veritable time -server. His politics of “now and now alone”, political traits that are clearly illustrated in this shortsighted and frivolous rabble-rousing piece.
Navigating the endless waffle in this article is an art in itself. Its lowest point is however his rather pathetic attempt to discredit a serving minister. The same minister who had smoothened the path for his return to the “Amaechi camp” when he abandoned his “close friend” who was on exile in Ghana. One is therefore left in no doubt as to who and what Senator Magnus Abe represents: a sadly diminished and drowning politician, who now begins to fear the worse, come 2015.
The reader of his article does not need a crystal ball to arrive at the conclusion that Senator Abe desperately wants to be Governor of Rivers State, and misguidedly believes that immersing himself into such a high profile quarrel, (between the President and Amaechi) will raise his profile and be of considerable benefit to him. Having been allegedly designated by Amaechi to be his heir apparent, he has now arrogated to himself the position of the second in command of a largely discredited administration. What he seems to have forgotten is that his group of merry men have since been rejected by the Rivers people for lack of vision and any definable mission; for lacking sincerity and being extravagantly wasteful with the state’s scarce resources. The Monorail, amongst other red herring, half-baked and poorly conceived pea brain projects of the Amaechi administration have become a metaphor for profligacy and rampant corruption.
Senator Abe averred that “Nothing can be more deadly to a leader than vipers in your bosom masquerading as house pets”. Absolutely true. Between 2004 to 2007, during the regime of Governor Peter Odili, was Magnus Abe not the viper in the bosom masquerading as a house pet?
To para-phrase the garrulous Senator again,: what I have always seen in politics is that your opponents spend money and resources to convince the world that you have no support in your base”.
Is this another Freudian slip, or is Senator Abe is again indirectly referring to himself?
In 2008 – 2011, Magnus Abe as Secretary to Rivers State Government, spent more money than anyone else to discredit past political leaders in Rivers State, particularly, Dr Peter Odili. His office was the source damaging publications, flyers, bill boards, crusades, rallies, etc against them.
It appears that Magnus Abe does not seems to realize that lies and deceit have a limited life span, and as they say, have an expiry date. He should be bold to make public Governor Amaechi’s derogatory public comments against the President, rather than put up a very putrid and watery defence for Governor Amaechi. Has Amaechi denied, never having made disparaging remarks about the President of Nigeria?
Who actually is the “unfriendly friend” and unbrotherly brother in Rivers PDP?
In 2010, Magnus Abe as SSG spear headed the arrest and prosecution of 11 leaders of PDP in the State on trumped up charges of armed robbery and cultism. Presently over 50 Ogoni Youths, all members of the PDP are being prosecuted by Magnus Abe. Is Magnus Abe not the “unfriendly friend” and unfriendly brother”?
I challenge Magnus Abe to publicly deny that he is not part of Amaechi’s Vice Presidential Campaign Committee. I have evidence to support our claim, that he is a member of that committee.
It is clear that Magnus Abe’s fear is that given his antecedents, Rivers people cannot trust him and he must do everything possible to sustain Amaechi’s Vice-Presidential ambition to remain relevant.
Where was Magnus Abe when Amaechi embarrassed the wife of Mr. President in Okrika?
Where was Magnus Abe when Amaechi said at a stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt that President Jonathan had failed the people of the South South region?
Where was Senator Magnus Abe when Amaechi said, that it would be difficult for President Jonathan to return as President?
I advise Senator Abe and those of his ilk who are fast fading into political oblivion to for once, think outside the box and find better ways of engaging their creative energies than in mindless, mudslinging and casting aspersions on Mr. President.
Amaechi and Abe should allow President Jonathan to concentrate on his present job of rescuing Nigeria from the strangle hold of parasitic leaches and their collaborators. From the criminals in high places who have impoverished a once prosperous nation, reducing the country to an aid supplicant; from those who have subjected millions of Nigerians to joblessnes, despair and premature deaths.
It is indeed to the likes of Senator Abe that the former Governor, Sir Dr. Peter Odili was referring to when he in his latest book ” Truth and Conscience” said, “The axiom that ‘you never really know a man until he has POWER and MONEY’ came truly alive since my period out of office 29th May 2007. It has been a most revealing and instructive period of my life.
People one had taken from point of street contact and made members of family; people one had employed straight from school; people who one had no sanguinal relationships with but made beneficiaries of one’s generosity in the midst of want; people who professed absolute loyalty and readiness to sacrifice anything in one’s defense; people who proclaimed that their own children could not do 10% of what Dr Odili did in their lives, the list is inexhaustible. All these, on my exit from office, instantly turned their backs on me, denied being beneficiaries and indeed joint detractors and political opponents to castigate, denigrate, malign and condemn me, they denied being recipients of anything good from Odili’s Government.
Some even joined the chorus of ‘Crucify Odili’ singers. That is the nature of man and his perfidy. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?’ Jeremiah 17: 9 Kings James Version”.
But knowing Sir Dr Peter Odili, a father of so many children. It’s unnatural to expect all of them to be the same or possess his kind of wisdom and spirit of unalloyed love in equal measures. He (Sir Dr Odili) also understands better and may have forgiven his prodigal sons.
We cannot but join in praying and asking him to forgive all their trespasses and leave the rest of God Almighty.
Elder Chuku, a political analyst writes from Port Harcourt