Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Senator Magnus Abe, the Rivers South East Senatorial candidate of All Progressive Congress, APC, has dismissed attempt by Governor Nyesom Wike to downplay the fact the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, Report was a campaign promise of President Muhammadu Buhari when he visited Ogoniland.

Senator Abe was reacting to the constant admonition by Governor Wike that the cleaning up of Ogoniland should not be ‘politicised’ because the beneficiaries of clean up goes beyond party lies.

Senator Abe who appeared on a live radio programme aired in Port Harcourt today in preparation to the flag off of the UNEP report said it was wrong and unfair for anybody to ask APC not to lay claim to the fact that the implementation of UNEP report was a campaign promise of APC to the Ogoni people.

Abe who was the the Secretary to the Rivers Government under administration of former Governor Chibuike Amaechi whose office rendered required logistics to UNEP officials said; “It is good we face reality.I wasn’t just a part of the delegation to former President Goodluck Jonathan in August 2011, I actually led the delegation, and I read the address presented to him on behalf of the Ogoni people. In fact, because of the fiery nature of what we said in that meeting, when I was talking, they asked the press to leave. I also presented another address to the then APC Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. These are issues we’re all very familiar with.

Senator Abe stated “What is disturbing to me, however, is that now that we’re set to implement the report, every time I open my mouth to say something, you hear people say, “Oh! Don’t politicise the report… Don’t politice the report. And I ask, what is politicisation of the UNEP Report? Is it the voice of Senator Abe that is now politicisation of the UNEP Report? This was the same voice that went to every village in Ogoniland to talk about this issue, and it became our campaign slogan.

It should not be not be lost on us that “It was a campaign promise by the APC Presidential candidate. The implementation of the report is being carried out by an APC government. The President who is coming to implement it is an APC member. It is a fulfilment of our promise, so nothing will stop us as members of the APC from showing the implementation of the report as evidence that we are delivering on our promise.”

Abe recalled how the Presidential Committee, led by the Most Rev. Hassan Matthew Kukah that midwifed the work of UNEP were resilient despite challenges posed by pockets of skeptics in Ogoniland.

Governor Wike has been cautioning that the implementation of UNEP report and the flag off by President Buhari should not be politicised or be turned into a campaign tool by politicians so that all Ogonis will be carried along in the implementation without minding their political leanings.