Barely 24 hours after announcing his membership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), former senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has emerged the party’s governorship candidate for the 2023 general election in Rivers State.
Also, a retired Permanent Secretary in the River State Civil Service, Dr. Patricia Ogbonna, emerged as the SDP deputy governorship candidate in the state.
Abe emerged after polling 30 votes during a substitution governorship primary of the SDP in Port Harcourt, which was supervised by an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Pastor Emmanuel Isong.
Also at the venue of the substitution primary election were representatives from the Department of State Service, (DSS) and the Nigeria Police.
Declaring the result of the substitution primary election, Chairman of SDP Substitution Electoral Committee, Hon. Muhammed Ibrahim, described the former senator as a credible candidate for the governorship election in Rivers State.
Ibrahim said: “Today, we have elected a credible candidate for the governorship election in Rivers state. Let me thank all of you for conducting yourselves peacefully and for electing a very popular candidate in the person of distinguished Senator Magnus Abe as the governorship candidate of the party for Rivers state.
“For those of you who are yet to register and collect your PVCs, please ensure that you do so before the expiration of the deadline as slated by INEC. I am very confident that with a quality candidate like Senator Magnus Abe, SDP will become the ruling party in Rivers Dtate come 2023”.
In his solidarity message, the former member of the House of Representatives, Elder Chidi Wihioka thanked INEC for its effort in ensuring that elections in Nigeria were free, fair and credible.
Wihioka noted that with what transpired in Osun State governorship election recently, Nigerians could cast their votes and be confident that such vote would count.
He said: “I was INEC electoral Commissioner some years ago. I can tell you that INEC is doing a good work right now. INEC has now given Nigerians a high hope that their votes will count going forward.
“Thuggery during elections will now become a thing of the past. With Magnus Abe as the governorship candidate of our great party, SDP, there is no doubt that we will have a nice outing in 2023”.
Earlier in his remarks, SDP Chairman in the state, Hon Solsuema Osaro expressed confidence that the candidature of Abe would make SDP a party to beat in the state in 2023.
