Supreme Court & Amaechi: Need for Soberekon to learn from Princewill
People have always talked in good light, about the 28th September 2009 Supreme Court advise to the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi and to Chief Soberekon and Amaechi's developmental approaches in Rivers State without often liaising their comments or opinions with Prince Tonye TJT Princewill, a man regarded in the Niger Delta region as The Prince of Niger Delta Politics. Without doubt, perhaps, Amaechi would not have been governor or he would have been since removed as governor if not that Prince Tonye Princewill, the Rivers State AC leader, withdrew his pending petition against Sir Celestine Omehia (who won the April 14 2007 gubernatorial in the state under the PDP) in the law court immediately Amaechi was declared the PDP-gubernatorial winner on October 25 2007.
Buttressing his reason for not losing sleep in the court case between Amaechi and Soberekon, Princewill stated that Soberekon's effort so far to oust Amaechi from the office was a calisthenics in pointlessness. Princewill further said 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 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 their then Legal Adviser and currently the Commissioner of Urban Ministry in the State a SAN if we had progressed with it.
Princewill went on to intimate the people of Rivers State and indeed Nigerians at large 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 discredited any claim that he had received any financial elbowing 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.
This is a man in whom Rivers people have to repose their leadership trust if Amaechi had not clinched the saddle and Princewill decided to be in a marriage of Unity Government with the ruling PDP government in the state. From all indications, Princewill has played a very vital role in making sure that Rivers State grows politically, economically and socially. His coming into the politics of the state indeed has brought succour to many people except to those who still believe that Sir Peter Odili is their god. But they forgot that Rivers State is bigger than any body, even Odili and his ill-adviser, Dr. Abiye Sekibo.
While Amaechi is always applauded for good governance, one man that has remained stoical on initiating most of the policies run in the state is Princewill and the members of the AC. Journalist could attest to this. Speaking from Rivers State angle on the 49th Nigeria's Independence Day celebration, Princewill said that 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. Education has been destroyed, killed and buried in Nigeria; and to worsen the situation by PDP the evil of kidnapping has been 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.
Rivers people should advise Soberekon to learn from Princewill, how to move the state forward, irrespective of which party won. Soberekon is dragging Rivers State back. Hogwash!
Ikenga Igbo writes from Orumba, Anambra State. Email: [email protected]