From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has said that the party has grown to become the biggest political party in the state.
He spoke at the Port Harcourt Polo Club in Port Harcourt, yesterday, while addressing thousands of his supporters who staged a one million-man march in his honour.
Abe stated if elected governor in 2023, his administration would establish a second industrial layout in the state to boost the economy and create job opportunities for Rivers residents.
The SDP governorship candidate said that political parties were mere vehicles, stating that it was the people that make up the party.
He said: “Finally, I told you before that a political party is nothing but a vehicle. It is the people that make the party. Rivers people, today, you have made the SDP, the biggest political party in Rivers State. You have that power.
“All those other parties, because you were there, that was why they were big. Now that you are here, this one too is big. SDP is the biggest political party in Rivers State today.”
Abe stated that creation of opportunities for jobs were not through laws and fiats, and his administration would create an atmosphere through which Rivers people will make money.
He said: “We have told you that since Trans-Amadi was built, no other industrial estate has been established in this state. We will establish another one.
“We have told you that given opportunities to our people to get jobs and employment is not something to be done by laws or by fiat. We will create an atmosphere through which Rivers people can make money.”
Abe sympathised with the people of Orashi region of the state, whose communities had been submerged in the flood, saying if elected, his administration would find a lasting solution to the perennial challenge.
He said: “The other thing I want to say is that last week, we put off this programme because of the flooding in Orashi region. The whole Orashi region of Rivers State, everytime, gets flooded.
“We all know that these things are not man-made and everytime it happens, we appear totally unprepared. It is only a tree that you will tell that you get an axe and cut it down and it will still remain in that place.
“I want to assure Rivers people, we cannot stop water from coming if that is part of the water. But, there are several things we can do to prepare for things we know can haunt us down. We can dredge our rivers annually so that when the water rises, it can go down quickly. We can build canals to divert the water away from where people are living.
“If it becomes impossible, we can move people from where we know they cannot stay to places where they can stay. You know it is safer to relocate people; we have done it before. So, I want to assure our friends, our brothers, our sisters in the places that are flooded; yes, it may happen again. But, I want to assure you that it will never ever be this bad again.”