The global chairman of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Solidarity Vanguard, Amb Dare Owotomobi, has stepped into the fierce fighting between Sen Magnus Abe and Chief Tony Okocha over who has the leading position in the Tinubu camp.
Sen Abe’s group just announced Chief Okocha apart from revealing things about him, but the Global Chairman has made a startling declaration.
Read both sides:
Global Chairman of BAT Solidarity Vanguard, Amb Dare Owotomobi
– I don’t have a comment. I say so because as the global chairman of the BAT Vanguard, I am not informed. To the best of my knowledge, Chief Tony Okocha is the Rivers State coordinator. He also coordinates other chairmen in the South-South. This suspension news is strange to me.
- Those who issued the statement might have their reason, but they lack the power to suspend. They were not the ones that appointed Chief Tony Okocha. If there is anything, they needed to brief me.
– Even Chief Okocha the chairman cannot suspend anybody just like that
– I see the allegations as petty politicking. Today Magnus Abe will speak on television, next, Chief Tony Okocha too will speak, trying to reveal who Sen Abe is and what he stands for. If Chief Okocha is selling himself, we have to assess both men.
– Sen Abe is part of us (the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Vanguard) to the level of member of Board of Trustees (BOT). He was nominated to us by Chief Okocha. I see both as BAT disciples.
On the issue on ground, we see Chief Okocha as the last man standing in Rivers State. Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi was the leader of APC in Rivers State by virtue of being a Minister. He had the structure of the party in his control, and he has a lot of influence, very close to Buhari. But he contested and the Rivers State structure was against BAT candidacy. It was Sen Abe, Chief Okocha, and few others that stood for us.
– After our principal (BAT) emerged, Sen Abe left us for SDP, and in that wise, it was this Chief Okocha that was the last man standing. It is Chief Okocha that did not allow the house to be vacant, he was a chief occupant.
– I do not know how any reasonable person would say he is suspended. They lack the power to do so.
– If Sen Abe says he wants to come back, nobody will stop him because nobody asked him to leave in the first place.
– Sen Abe happens to be my close friend, based on his support for Asiwaju, but I was not briefed that he was leaving.
– On the other hand, Chief Okocha called me and sought for my advice. I said, no you cannot leave now that our man has emerged. If it remains only you, stay there. He obliged.
– If some people still think they belong to Asiwaju, I do not think there is any issue. What I see is politicking.
– If they approach me, we can settle it. But the issue of suspension is a no, no, no.
– Chief Okocha and Sen Abe are complainants in this matter; none can be a judge in his own case.
– I saw the suspension as very laughable.
What Abe group said:
We the executive members of the Rivers State chapter of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Vanguard (BATS Vanguard) one of the foremost sociopolitical groups that mobilized grassroots support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the just concluded general elections have in a meeting held yesterday the 3rd of July 2023 suspended our former state Coordinator Chief Tony Okocha following allegations of embezzlement and mismanagement of funds meant for mobilization and campaigns towards the victory of our principal, president Bola Tinubu.
We thus unanimously endorsed the ascension of the deputy coordinator Hon. Douglas Uzah as substantive coordinator of the group.
Also, Our attention has been drawn to the unnecessary campaign of calumny and attacks on the person and character of our state leader and financier, Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe by Tony Okocha and his drunk urchins.
We were shocked to read in the media, statements credited to Tony Okocha, alleging that our Leader, Senator Magnus Abe and his associates embezzled the money meant for Rivers Presidential campaign Rally, and did not work for our amiable President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 Presidential election.
It will interest you to know that Sen Magnus Abe was the sole sponsor of BATS Vanguard in Rivers State. So how could someone who sponsored all functions and activities of BATS VANGUARD in Rivers State also be the one to embezzle money meant for the group and for the campaign of the Presidential candidate of the APC?
We wish to inform the general public to ignore and disregard the unfounded lies leveled against the very Distinguished Sen. Magnus Abe as there was never a time when Sen. Magnus Abe and Hon Augustine Wokocha embezzled fund meant for Tinubu’s campaign in Rivers State, as claimed by Tony. Rather they were the arrow heads and key sponsors of all the political activities of BAT’s Presidential campaign in Rivers State, before and after APC Presidential Primaries till the election.
We want the reading public to note that the appointment of Tony Okocha as the Chairman of Rivers BATS Vanguard and his nomination into the APC Presidential campaign council were all made by His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Abe. This fact is undeniable as we the state Excos were pre-informed about the appointment by Sen. Abe when Chief Tony Okocha led us in a state Executive meeting with Sen. Magnus Abe at Freedom House, Evo Road. We are witnesses.
We also want the general public to note that the executive body of Rivers BAT Vanguard is made up of the structures of Distinguished Senator Abe in all the 23 local government Areas of Rivers State and that these persons are still with our principal ; Distinguished Senator Abe and are signatories to this press statement.
We further invite the general public to note that Tony Okocha was bought by former Gov Wike and that all his childish vituperation and those of his hoodwinked gullible followers whom he gave little money out of the billions that was paid to him by his paymaster, is to justify that purpose of acquisition. The contract of character assassination is what they are executing.
Every politically conscious person in Rivers State knows that Tony Okocha has been a serial betrayer who once betrayed Wike who is now the beneficiary of his delusional ludicrousness and discombobulated razzmatazz.
In fact, it was as a result of former Gov Amaechi’s refusal to drop Tony Okocha as chief of staff, as requested by Minister Wike as he then was, that led to the political disagreement and enmity between former Gov Amaechi and Wike till date. Same Tony Okocha had betrayed Chief Mbata, betrayed Amaechi who gave him political breath and now Sen. Magnus Abe who revitalized his dead political career. Such a character should not be taken seriously not even now.
Tony Okocha was almost lynched by supporters of minister Wike as he then was in the build up to the 2015 election, but was rescued by Distinguished Senator Abe, an incident that led to the shooting of Senator Abe in the then Rivers State College of Arts and Science. It was after the incident that Tony Okocha chose to show his support for the Governorship ambition of Senator Abe.
To further buttress the fact that Tony is just a political tool of Wike to accomplish their egoistical aim to get a place in Tinubu’s administration.
Election has come and gone, This is time for governance, so, why is Tony Okocha restless, and running from one radio and television house to another?
The public should note that, it is just a ploy to discredit Sen Magnus Abe and put Wike in a better perspective before the President but it’s too late because His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Asiwaju Tinubu knows Sen Magnus Abe to the letter and knows those who want to come into his government to gain relevance and gather more momentum to pursue their presidential ambition in 2027.
In the light of the above therefore, we the entire executives of Rivers BATS Vanguard, categorically state as follows:
1. That all the political activities of the group were funded by Distinguished Senator Magnus Abe.
2.That there was no time Distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe or any of his political associates, embezzled money meant for the presidential campaign or whatever political activities, as all funds were raised by Senator Abe and his associates.
3. That we were all members of the sub committees of Rivers APC Presidential campaign council and that we were all witnesses to all that transpired.
4. That we participated actively in the campaigns and the election of President Amed Bola Tinubu on the orders/instructions of our Principal, Distinguished Senator Magnus Abe and, that the results from our various polling units are evidence to this fact.
5.That Tony as a political opportunist, in the course of his involvement in the Rivers APC Presidential campaign rally, seized the opportunity to be collecting money from top Rivers politicians across party lines, of which Governor Wike as he was then, is one of his victims and used it to build a mansion for himself in Abuja. The general public should please ask Tony Okocha what he did, where he worked to acquire that mansion that he acquired for himself at Abuja before the 2023 Presidential election, and why he has refused to render the accounts for all the money he collected from Rivers top politicians, including Sir Jachrich Tein Jnr, from whom he took N50m.
6. As Executive members of Rivers State BAT Vanguard, we distance ourselves completely from the naked ranting and backstabbing of Tony Okocha and declare that we continue to stand with Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe who has stood through thick and thin to project, sponsor, and popularized PBAT in Rivers State, even before the introduction of this group.
7. We call on Chief Tony Okocha to desist from dragging the name of the most Revered Distinguished Sen Magnus Abe to the mud and enjoy the guilt and loneliness that comes with hoodwinking and betraying one’s political family.
To this end, we hereby pass a vote of no confidence on Chief Tony Okocha, having seen his character as causing public nuisance and disrespect to this noble body and the person of President Tinubu whom we stand for.
We hereby suspend Chief Tony Okocha and ask the general public to discontinue in addressing him as BATS Vanguard Coordinator, Rivers State. We unanimously elect his former Deputy, Hon. Uzah Douglas, as our new state chairman with immediate effect.
