The 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe has shed more light on why he is no longer contesting the outcome of the election.
According to Abe, he withdrew his case before the Rivers State election tribunal because of political contingencies.
Though he argued that the election in Rivers State was an aberration, he added that with a new president in charge, as much as possible, everyone should join hands together to move the country forward.
Abe made the submission on Tuesday during a guest appearance on Channels Television Politics Today.
He said: “I have said several times that elections in Rivers were an aberration. I even said before the election that there would be problems in Rivers State, and there were problems. But I withdrew my case due to political exigencies, and you know that we have a new president, new hopes, and we are going somewhere, and I do believe that as much as possible, all of us should put our hands together to move the country forward.”
Also during the interview, while reacting to the EU’s position on Nigeria’s electoral process, Abe said the 2023 election is the best election Nigeria has ever conducted.
He said it came with a lot of improvements but it is the politicians who have been undermining the process.
According to him, the democratic journey is always a work in process where improvements are always welcome.
He said, “Substantially, we have done very well. The truth is that I have been part of elections in this country since 1999 and even before that, even until today. I keep telling people that the 2023 election is the best election we have ever conducted in this country.
“If you look at the participation of the people, the way the election was conducted, you will notice a lot of improvements. First of all, in the law, with the use of technology, and accreditation, where the system was allowed to work, it worked very well. But actually, like your guest said, the conduct of politicians in undermining the process itself, is actually the biggest problem that we face as far as elections are concerned.
“Even in older democracies, elections are a work in progress. As you see things that undermine or challenge the process, you take steps to correct them. So I think that from every other election circle, there’s a lot to learn from them. But in terms of improvement on our electoral process, anybody who is objective, will agree that the 2023 elections, the 2022 electoral act are a major way forward for the Federal Republic of Nigeria in terms of elections. Even in terms of following the rules, we can improve. The thing that went wrong in the election was the fact that politicians refused to play by the rules.”
