Registration: Senate Abe Condemns Attack On APC Members, Faults Newspaper Reports

SENATOR MAGMUS ABE n SAN FRANCISCO, February 07, (THEWILL) - The Senator representing Rivers South-East in the  National Assembly, Magnus Abe, has condemned in strong terms the mayhem and violence being unleashed on innocent Nigerians in Rivers State, who came out in their thousands  to register with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement signed by Honour Sirawoo, his spokesman, the Senator blamed the PDP and GDI for hiring armed thugs to attack unarmed citizens from wards and communities across the state participating in the APC nationwide membership registration exercise.

He lamented that men and women were molested, shot at, and attacked with   dangerous weapons and registration materials destroyed, with the thugs chanting 'Police is in our pocket, they will not arrest us; President Jonathan is happy with us.

' Abe said, 'It is scary that people are doing this in the believe that, they are working for President Jonathan who has sworn severally that, he will not allow the blood of any innocent Nigerian, to be spilled on the altar of personal ambition.

' The Senate Committee Chairman on Petroleum (Downstream) admonished those perpetrating violence in Rivers State, saying 'just as there was yesterday, there will be tomorrow and the consequences of some of these actions will certainly echo into the future.

' He urged the people not to be deterred by the plans of the enemies of democracy in the move to strengthen their quest for a better Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the senator has said newspaper reports alleging that he stormed out of Wednesday's plenary ahead of Senate President in reaction to the non presentation of the defection letter to APC on the floor was not true, insisting that, he left early to meet up doctor's appointment.

While expressing his understanding in a statement, of the anxiety of lovers of justice, and democracy over the delay in the reading of the letter, he said 'we have confidence in the Senate as an institution and its leadership.

' Senator Abe observed that the Senate had faced challenges in the past and found ways of protecting and advancing the interest of the country and democracy.

'These are trying times for us, but working together, we will search for and find solution that would accommodates the wishes of Senators and promote our democracy; that is what statesmanship demands and that's what Senator Mark is known and respected for,' he said, explaining that, where he is dissatisfied with the decision of the leadership 'I will express my dissatisfaction on the floor of the Senate and not in the manner proposed by the news reports.

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