2015: SUPPORTING JONATHAN NOT MANDATORY, SAYS ABE

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, has said the people of the South-south geo-political zone should not be forced to support the second term bid of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Abe, who spoke in Port Harcourt yesterday, also said there was no need to heat up the polity ahead of 2015 general election, since there is freedom of association and choice of who to support under the constitution.
He chided those who think because Jonathan should contest 2015 general election, no other person from the South-south zone should seek any other position in a democracy. The senator disclosed that the ascendancy of the South-south zone was as a result of zoning arrangement and that the people of the region do not constitute majority in the country, hence the need not to abuse the benefits.
He berated those attacking the Rivers State Governor, Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, for not supporting the second term ambition of Jonathan, saying while the president has the constitutional right to seek a second term in office, Amaechi also has the constitutional right to support whoever he wants to support.
“Those who acknowledge that the president has a constitutional right to contest must also acknowledge the constitutional right of others to support whoever they want to support or refuse to support who they don’t want to support. The constitution is for everybody,” Abe, who also represents Rivers South-east senatorial district in the National Assembly, said.
He said: “The best thing for us to do in this country, whether North, East, South, West or South-south, is to allow our politics to be driven by ideas. Those who feel strongly enough about something, regardless of where they come from, must be allowed to canvass their opinions and express their feelings.”
The senator said Amaechi remained a leading light in the country as a performer in the Nigerian democracy, pointing out that his developmental strides will speak for him at the appropriate time.
According to him, "Amaechi has already achieved a lot for Rivers people in different sectors. As a leader with a focus, we will continue to support him come rain or shine. We must leave a legacy for the people of the state through the projects of this government.”
Source: Thisday