I WAS OFFERED N1.2B TO WITHDRAW MY CASE AGAINST OMEHIA ; MORE TO KEEP IT AGAINST AMAECHI, WHICH WAY ODILI ?- PRINCEWILL
Prince Tonye Princewill the Rivers State AC Leader spoke with newsmen at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja on Monday 28th September 2009, enroute Turkey where he is scheduled to conclude plans with a joint venture partner for a revolutionary waste management and disposal project which on conclusion will place Rivers State in the enviable position of cleanest State in the Country.
He took the opportunity of the media parley to comment on a number of national issues including the forthcoming 49th Nigerian Independence Anniversary. According to Princewill, “Nigeria has nothing to celebrate at 49 except its unity. PDP Leadership of the past ten years has failed to yield the much needed dividends of democracy while being fraught with anti-people policies that have destroyed the livelihood and psyche of majority of its citizens. Today, corruption has become the bane of our nation, recently listed as one of the most corrupt by international standards. Our roads are no longer means of transportation but death traps and destroyer of our vehicles. Education has been destroyed, killed and buried in Nigeria and to worsen the situation by PDP the evil of kidnapping has being introduced and established into our system. In their inept leadership they have finally maligned our sports particularly soccer that unites our country more than any other factor.”
Princewill not minding all these sad developments commended the quality leadership offered by the two great AC Governors in the persons of Fashola and Oshimhole of Lagos and Edo States respectively but also decried the inept leadership offered by PDP generally. He however gave kudos to the exceptional quality leadership of two PDP governors Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and Alhaji Goje of Gombe State, who despite their party, have been able to provide remarkable dividends of democracy for their people in the course of their tenure so far. He however pointed out, that as Chief critic of Amaechi in his capacity as Opposition leader; he would not hesitate to “chase” him out of the Government House through the power of the ballot box if Amaechi decides at anytime to dorn the PDP garb of wanton corruption and inhumane treatment of his constituency. “PDP undemocratic acts have changed Amaechi so much that he is only wearing PDP as a toga and any day he wears PDP in its true colour we will not only fight him to the end but will chase him away from the Government House through the ballot boxes of course!. PDP ruled (ruined) Rivers State from 1999-2007 and we are yet to recover from the shock we all were placed by such a regime. Today, Amaechi is more popular than PDP in Rivers State and that is the basic fact”.
Whilst fielding questions on the viability of the Soberekon Case to oust Amaechi from the Government House and the implications of the 28th September Supreme Court ousting Amaechi's case before her on the polity of the State. The Prince stated that Soberekon's effort so far I am concerned is an exercise in futility. He reasoned that except Soberekon is being used as a tool to re-elect and probably prolong the tenure of Governor Amaechi, with the much work and the quality of leadership so far offered by Amaechi it will be very difficult to remove him from office.
He stated clearly, that if ever there was a clear case to remove PDP from office, it would have been during the AC's battle against the legality of Omehia's victory at the polls in 2007. According to Princewill, AC had a water tight case prepared by five SANs led by Kola Awodi. This he said, informed PDP's resolve at the time to offer him a N1.2B to drop his case at the election tribunal, a request he promptly turned down. That AC's case would have made Barr Osima Ginah our then Legal Adviser and currently the Commissioner of Urban Ministry in the State a SAN if we had progressed with it.
He went on to inform the press that his decision to withdraw his case at the tribunal came after he had closely observed Amaechi for two weeks following his Supreme Court victory. He debunked any claims that he had received any financial prodding in this regard. Princewill went on to make some startling revelations concerning the intrigues that played out immediately after Amaechi's Supreme Court victory. He stated that shortly after the announcement, Odili and his cohorts with financial incentives and evidence to substantiate the fact of PDP's rigging of the 2007 polls approached him. All this is in the bid to keep Amaechi out of the Brick House and perpetrate an Odili Dynasty.
Reminded that Odili and Sekibo have concluded plots to hijack the AC Structure in the State to fight Amaechi in the forth-coming election; the Prince amazed at the short memory span of Nigerian politicians, wondered why Odili who in alliance with Obasanjo frustrated, hunted, humiliated Atiku Abubakar and forced him out of PDP in order for Odili, Obasanjo's 'godson' to purse his deluded dream of becoming the President of Nigeria, will now want to use the Political structure founded by Atiku Abubakar to fight a populist Governor of Rivers State. “Though this attempt will be the biggest joke in Nigerian politics recently. We are waiting, let them come into AC and we will see who will give them the structure and once we indentify their accomplices in the party we will expose them to the world”.
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On being a bit hard on Sir Peter Odili the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Princewill stated that he has never attack the persona of Odili, but rather the institution of corruption and bad leadership which are hallmarks of his legacy to the state.
In his parting words before he boarded his flight, Princewill stated that with Aadonakan, Iwu and the calculated plot to quash the Justice Uwais' led electoral reform report, PDP has already effected plan to rig both the 2010 Anambra gubernatorial election and the 2011 general elections. He called on all Nigerians rise and to resist every ploy in this regard if not the future of our country is not only bleak but is in quagmire.
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
Publicity Secretary, Rivers State AC