Lockdown: Rivers State may be divided into two – Magnus Abe warns Wike

Former Senator who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, has warned the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, that he may end up dividing the state into two camps.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Parry Benson, Abe said that Wike’s effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 could be counterproductive if he is not “strictly humane”.

The former lawmaker noted that “the government may win the lockdown battle and lose the war”.

Abe, a chieftain and factional governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 election, said Wike “runs the risk of dividing the state into two distinct camps; those who support the governor and will justify, glorify and applaud any action taken by the Rivers State Government no matter how callous and ill-advised it is, and those who oppose the governor and will oppose every action of the state government no matter how well thought out or well-intentioned the action may be.

“This need not be so; there is still time for the Rivers State Government to reconsider its strategies, and understand that this is a scientific war against a virus and all of us will need to be involved.

“At this rate, the government may win the lockdown battle and lose the war. COVID-19 is going to be here for some time and we need the goodwill and cooperation of the majority of our people to win the war against this virus.

“True victory will be when we survive united in utmost solidarity and our economy rebounds as we hope for recovery and prosperity.

“This war is fundamentally about collective humanity, it must, therefore, be fought on strictly humane and just terms,” Abe warned.

Wike on Monday announced a temporary lifting of the lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Areas from Tuesday to Wednesday.