The former senator for Rivers South-East, Magnus Abe, has said it is impossible to claim genuine loyalty to President Bola Tinubu while engaging in a political battle against the minister of the federal capital territory, Nyesom Wike, sharpening the lines in Rivers State’s deepening political crisis.
Abe made the remarks while thanking Tinubu for appointing him chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, comments widely read as a pointed message to Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, whose relationship with Wike has deteriorated into open confrontation.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Abe portrayed Tinubu as a leader who rewards loyalty and competence, pledged his unwavering allegiance to the president and offered effusive praise to Wike for his role in securing electoral support in Rivers.
In a thinly veiled reference to the ongoing turmoil in the state, Abe warned against ingratitude towards the FCT minister, whom he credited with delivering Rivers to Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 elections.
“Let me also thank the ‘001 of the Tinubu political family in Rivers State’, the FCT minister, the man who did what no other politician has ever been able to achieve: delivered Rivers State to Tinubu and the APC in the most difficult election in the history of Nigerian politics,” he wrote.
“No one can claim to love Mr President and be ungrateful to our ‘Mr Project’. His support at a critical point meant a lot to our success as a family and continues to be pivotal to the success of the Tinubu family in Rivers State, which has formed into a unique rainbow coalition called the Renewed Hope family.”
Describing Tinubu as “a father that rewards genuine loyalty and promotes competence”, Abe added: “I will never stop following you.”
He said his appointment to head the upstream petroleum regulator offered him “a great and unique opportunity” to contribute to Nigeria’s transformation, particularly in a sector central to the economy, and held it up as further proof of Tinubu’s political mastery.
“This is the reason thousands of people like me have followed him over the years and millions more are following,” Abe said. “Nigeria is not becoming a one-party state; rather, in Tinubu, Nigerians have found a leader that all Nigerians can trust.”
Abe also expressed personal gratitude to Wike, whom he referred to affectionately as “our Nyerishi”, saying that he and his family owed the minister more than words could convey.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to back Tinubu’s reform agenda, dismiss critics and remain hopeful. “Today, the president is doing things differently, and the numbers are beginning to show that Nigeria is on the right course,” he said.
Wike and Abe share a long, complex political history in Rivers State, marked by shifting alliances and rivalry. Abe, once aligned with the former governor Rotimi Amaechi, broke with him during internal crises within the APC and later found common cause with Wike at crucial moments, particularly during the 2023 general elections.
Although Abe did not formally contest under the Peoples Democratic Party, he openly backed Wike’s political structure and joined efforts to mobilise support for Tinubu in Rivers State—a strategy that proved decisive in delivering the state to the APC despite Wike’s PDP roots.
Since Tinubu’s victory, Abe has increasingly positioned himself within Wike’s political camp, frequently defending the FCT minister and aligning with his “Renewed Hope” coalition, even as relations between Wike and Governor Fubara have continued to unravel.
