Senator Magnus Abe joins the growing list of prominent members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to resign their membership from the party.
Magnus Ngei Abe (born 24 May 1965) served as a Senator for the Rivers South-East Senatorial District of Rivers State, Nigeria. He was first elected to the Nigerian Senate in 2011 in the April 2011 federal elections and again in a rerun poll in December 2016. In the 2015 general elections, he lost a return bid to Senator Olaka Nwogu. Before the poll, like others in Rivers, was invalidated by the court, necessitating a rerun poll.
He had also made unsuccessful bids at becoming the governor of Rivers State.
Meanwhile, in his letter of resignation from the APC, addressed to the party National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, Senator Abe cite the “unwillingness of the party’s presidential standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to negotiate with me since he expects me to remain in the APC”.
He wrote: “I wish to tender my resignation of membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“My decision to quit is not unconnected with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s seeming unwillingness to negotiate with me since he expects me to remain in the APC. Hence my resolve to seek an alternative platform to actualise my gubernatorial ambition in Rivers State.
“I feel it is time to move on with my Ambition, having served this country as a lawmaker in the Rivers State House of Assembly, SSG of Rivers State, and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Let me also use this moment to thank my teeming supporters, and some of those that defected from the APC, for standing by me in all these years, more importantly, H.E Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Eighteen-Eleven Media reports that the resignation letter was copied to Ward 16 Chairman in Gokana Local Government Area as well as Rivers State APC chairman.