Former Rivers State Senator, Magnus Abe, has stated why the incumbent Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, cannot be described as the leader of PDP in the State.
Abe made this disclosure while speaking on the feud between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on TVC’s programme, Politics Night, last week.
A clip of the interview, which went viral on social media on Thursday was sited by IVNTV NEWS.
Speaking on the programme, the former Senator and Social Democratic Party governorship candidate in the 2023 elections said there was more in a leader that being a governor. According to him, “Being the State leader was a great deal beyond governing the State.
Abe said, “Being a Governor has made him the leader of the government of Rivers State. But when you say political leader, that is something that you have to work to earn.
“To say Fubara is the political leader of Rivers State is a much broader context of leadership. And it takes time to build that kind of confidence, followership, support, and trust. Leadership is all about trust, and sometimes, navigating this difficult water helps bring you out as a leader. When you begin to trust yourself and can rely on the direction you provide.”
The former Senator, however, said it was Fubara’s responsibility to work towards that leadership.
“But he is the Governor of Rivers State, and it is his responsibility to work towards that leadership. But to say he is the political leader of Rivers will be putting leadership into a broad context. And it takes time to get there. It takes bringing people together. You earn trust.
“As a Governor, you have the opportunity to get there. But I don’t think it is conferred,” he added.
Abe also drew a contextual analogy from Aminu Kano’s supremacy in Kano State. He postulated that Aminu Kano was the political leader of Kano despite not being a Governor at the time.
Recall that the former Senator earlier said he had ended the protracted political feud between him and Wike.
The former SDP governorship candidate had in a Facebook post seen by IVNTV NEWS on Thursday, stated that. He said he had mended fences with the FCT minister
Recall also that before the 2023 elections, Abe first fell out of favour with his principal and former Governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi. The crux was the picking of Lagos-based businessman and co-owner of Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole, by Amaechi. Cole was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State.
source: PUNCH
