DEVELOPING A FORGIVING SPIRIT IS ONE MAJOR REASON I HAVE SURVIVED THIS LONG – ATIKU
Prince Tonye Princewill the Rivers State AC Leader on a working visit to Abuja from the 8th to 9th October 2009, took time out to pay a courtesy call on Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Natinal Leader AC and also accompany Dr. Chris Ngige; AC gubernatorial Candidate to submit his INEC Form for the upcoming February 2010 Anambra State Gubernatorial election.
In his short speech at the Meeting with Atiku Abubakar, Princewill stated that in addition to business interests that brought him to Abuja, it was expedient that he paid a visit to the Turaki to intimate him with the current state of Affairs in Rivers State. Important also according to Princewill, was the decision by delegates from Bayelsa and Rivers state AC chapters to identify with the aspirations of Dr. Chris Ngige, his Deputy, Dr. Phil Agbasi and other progressives' forces in the upcoming 2010 gubernatorial elections in Anambra by accompanying them in solidarity to INEC Abuja for submission of their forms.
Princewill also expressed great admiration for the decision of the trio of the Turaki, General Muhammadu Buhari and Alh. Attahiru Bafurawa for their commendable decision to forgo any form of personal political ambition in the interest of joining forces to salvage Nigeria from the grip of PDP. He said the move though an admirable and timely one -capable of restoring the tenets of democracy hitherto destroyed by PDP in its quest to perpetuate itself in power by any means necessary- must be devoid of any self serving agenda.
Speaking on the Turaki's relevance in the “new” arrangement, Princewill expressed the desire to see him at the helm of the coalition, since according to him; there is a need for Atiku to be instrumental in ousting PDP; a Party where he was one time a key player in their rise to prominence. In his closing remarks, he applauded Atiku for his large heartedness proven by his ability to forgive his detractors and going a step further to embrace most of them in the spirit of the ''new'' arrangement.
In his response, Atiku thanked Princewill and his entourage for the visit and commended him for the strides he is making in the political field that have in recent times made him a reference point in political discourse in the polity. He reiterated his commitment to the reconstruction of the Nation. He posited that the Presidency was no longer a do or die affair for him, hence his acquiescence to the arrangement that would see either him, Buhari or Bafarawa at the helm of affairs. In closing, he stated that the issue of forgiving his so called detractors should not be seen as an action worthy of high commendation, for the simple reason that “.. without having a forgiving spirit, I would very well have been dead by now... To be a worthy politician, you must learn to love people no matter the challenges.” is to join politics and love politics because people will always people”.
After the meeting, next stop for the Prince of Niger Delta Politics, Prince Tonye Princewill was the AC National Secretariat at Wuse Zone 6 Abuja to witness the handing over of the AC Flag by the National Chairman of AC, Chief Bisi Akande to Dr. Chris Ngige and His Deputy, Dr. Phil Agbasi. Dr Ngige spoke on his candidature and enthused thus, “I am on a second Missionary journey to continue the implementation of my blueprint for developing Anambra State that was aborted in 2006... I implemented only 25% of it within few months in power. With this second coming, implementation of the remaining 75% of my blue print will turn Anambra State into an Eldorado''. Princewill while accompanying Dr Ngige and others to INEC for the submission assured him of the unflinching support of the Rivers and Balyelsa States AC Chapters in his drive to salvage the worsen state of Anamabra State since he left office in 20006.”I must confess that I am happy of the democratic method used by the AC machinery in producing credible candidates in Ngige and Agbasi to take the State to the next level. This is an example of the way it should be. It is sad that instead of PDP to emulate AC and allow internal democracy to hold sway in its election of its flag bearer the PDP Cabals demonstrated its undemocratic toga by imposing Soludo and Anosike on the party. I believe that those who have conscience and want to govern should first learn to obey the law. If you can't respect your own conscience it becomes obvious of the type of government you want to run. Instead of PDP forfeiting this election because of its inability to allow internal democracy to determine its candidate it went ahead to demonstrate that PDP is synonymous with imposition and wickedness after collecting nomination fund from about 47 members ditched them without making them part of its selection of Soludo. I will urge the people of Anambra State therefore to forever reject PDP and take their fate in their hand and vote in Ngige by February 2010 for the great future of the State”.
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze,
Publicity Secretary, Rivers State AC.