The prolonged political feud between former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and Senator Magnus Abe appears to have come to an end, as the latter recently announced that he has reconciled with Wike.
Abe, who ran as the Rivers State governorship candidate for the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, shared on Facebook that he has patched things up with Wike, who currently serves as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Before the 2023 elections, Abe had a falling out with his mentor and former Governor of the State, Rotimi Amaechi, who chose Tonye Cole as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the state. Conversely, Wike supported Siminalayi Fubara as his preferred successor.
During this time, Wike reportedly made critical comments about Amaechi’s treatment of Abe, who had previously served as Secretary to the Rivers State Government. Despite never engaging in a public dispute, Wike and Abe, who represented Rivers South-East in the National Assembly, kept their distance due to their political disparities leading up to the elections.
The tension escalated when Abe confidently proclaimed he would win the governorship election, further straining his relationship with Wike.
After the elections, Wike and Abe were rarely seen together until the visit of Bola Tinubu, the President-elect at the time. Tinubu visited Rivers at Wike’s invitation to inaugurate some completed projects.
In a notable reconciliation moment, both Wike and Abe were seen at the Port International Airport, Omagwa, shaking hands in the presence of Tinubu.
Despite being in different parties (PDP and SDP), both Wike and Abe supported Tinubu’s presidential bid.
In a surprising turn of events, Abe and Wike shared a vehicle to attend the special thanksgiving event of Chief Tony Okocha, who holds positions in both the APC and the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Acknowledging this reconciliation, Abe released a statement expressing gratitude towards Wike and highlighting the importance of unity within the party.
This development signals a possible healing of divisions within the Rivers APC and could lead to the reconciliation of other disaffected members.