Untold story on Rivers APC crisis — Princewill

Prince Tonye Princewill, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, was the governorship candidate and Director, Strategic Communications of the Tonye Cole Campaign Organisation in the last general election. He speaks on the new federal cabinet, insecurity in the country and other issues. Deputy Group Politics Editor, TAIWO AMODU brings the excerpt: 

After the 2019 elections where the All Progressive Congress (APC) was excluded in Rivers State, are there efforts to carry out a comprehensive reconciliation among members of the party and where does the party in the state stand ahead of 2023?

Anybody who wants to win, wants peace, especially anyone who is not blinded by ambition. I know peace efforts were made before the elections and I suspect peace efforts will be made again soon. But it has to be initiated from outside. That means it is the duty of the party to find a way to bring all sides back to the table. The national office, in my opinion, is best placed to midwife a genuine peace process. Disagreements are commonplace in politics. Friction is a function of interaction. So, we await the party. Clearly as the dust begins to settle and ministers are put in place, the need for a state-by-state reconciliation will come to the front burner.

I will say however that party disunity at the state level was not what cost us the election. It was disunity at the national level buoyed by a few in the judiciary and in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that were willing to use the guise of local issues to implement a plan hatched in the Rivers State Government House. We were naive to think that those threatened by Rotimi Amaechi, were only in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Now we know that was not the case. His unadulterated closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari and his refusal to “play” with some of his fellow leaders at the national level meant that his enemies became Governor Nyeomu Wike’s friends.

If an Amaechi without a state government is so influential, an Amaechi with a Rivers State government would be unstoppable. 2019 for us was about 2023, not 2019. Amaechi was taught a lesson and we in Rivers State paid for it through no fault of our own. Anybody weak enough can be induced to be disunited. Our fault was we underestimated how much Amaechi was hated within his own team. So at the federal level, we were really in government, but we were not in power. That lesson has been learnt and filed away for the history books.

The new federal cabinet is in place now. What agenda will you set for the members and what are your expectations?

The agenda has been set by the president and so, it’s not for me to do that. But, I will expect that it will be a more intense pace and higher targets. This president won an election with the media against him, the elite against him, ethnic bigots against him, religious zealots against him, the Generals against him and the West against him. At one point, I suspected he even had some people in the INEC against him. All he had going for him were his APC die-hards and the masses. This victory is for them. That means he has to deliver on the things that are important to them: jobs, an improved fight against corruption with several high profile convictions, improved power distribution, rail infrastructure networks and a further acknowledgment of industries outside of oil like agriculture, the creative sector and information technology. As for the capacity of the cabinet to give the administration the needed push, I think it’s the other way around. The administration from the top is the one doing the pushing. Buhari has his legacy to protect. Ministers have been given their marching orders and anyone who fall short will be denied the glory of their posts.

At the national level, the party seems to be fragmented along interest lines. There are those who feel the APC is losing its goodwill and that it may not be in reckoning come 2023, particularly considering that the cult-like followership of President Buhari will no longer be there. How do you react to that?

It was a former British prime minister that said: A week is a long time in politics. That applies here too. My prediction is that there will be an alignment and realignment of interests leading up to the next elections. We see it all the time. It’s nothing new. What may be new is that the president may sign into law a new Electoral Act that will introduce electronic voting. People will become more important to politicians if that is the case. In many states, that has not been the case. Both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be affected by this and it means the possibility of a third force will become more likely.

I agree the APC will need to begin to reflect on life after Buhari. Like I said earlier, it was the president that won that election, against all odds. So if he isn’t there, it will be different. But if Buhari raises the hand of anyone, he or she already has a head-start over the opposition. He won’t raise anyone’s hand in 2023 unless he genuinely believes that such a person can do justice to Nigeria and take her to the Promised Land. It will be that person versus someone who can take us back to the days of sharing and I know, in the end, the progressives under whatever banner, will win again.

Former Governor Amaechi is perceived in certain quarters as a stumbling block in the Rivers APC and not a rallying point. He couldn’t stomach Magnus Abe, Lulu Briggs and a few others who left the party for him because they alleged he imposed Tonye Cole. You are a strong force within. What is your take? 

Let me start by saying I am not a strong force, just a very stubborn politician who will not play politics as usual. I am easy to understand. My loyalty to party is not at the expense of my loyalty to my people. As long as my party respects my people, my party can have no problem with me. Who are my people? The youths, the vulnerable, the disabled, the masses, the Niger Deltans, the Ijaws, Rivers people and of course, the Kalabari Kingdom. Mess with any of these groups and you have messed with me. It is therefore impossible to impose where I am seated. I won’t take it.

Amaechi did not impose anyone on us; he did not even allow the writing of results at the ward, local government areas and state congresses. He, like his father Buhari, became an extreme democrat. The amount of sincere consultations we did in Rivers impressed even a sceptic of our politics like me. I’ve been a victim of the popular will being reversed many times before and I can tell you, that didn’t happen in the state. Yes, it’s true Amaechi expressed an opinion as to Tonye Cole at the end, but he did so only after we gave him that option. I was one of the last to agree. But, I know Amaechi has genuine love at the grassroots and the best way to fight the opposition was lining up behind one position, no matter whose ox was gored.

Can I agree behind closed doors and reject it publicly? No, I cannot do that. We the leaders agreed on the process of choosing a candidate and we agreed on Tonye Cole – collectively. With respect to my brother, the distinguished Senator Magnus Abe, he jumped the gun and expressed an interest to contest very, very early. Amaechi refused to endorse him, but he was left free to express his views and free to associate, including with Wike. He could never have won, so he ensured nobody won. I’m sure he is very happy about how he made his point. Wike owes a lot to him.

You’re from the southern part of the country, where a lot of the people have vehemently protested against the Federal Government’s proposed Ruga settlement for nomadic herders. Where do you stand on the issue? 

Yes I am a southerner, but I’m also a Nigerian and I will like to think I am fairly reasonable in my thinking. The position is that unless a state wants it, the settlement will not happen. The former Minister of Agriculture being from Benue State and being a farmer is reported to have, maybe, tried to establish one without the permission of the state. That action has since been stopped in its tracks. So, what’s the fuss? How many ways can you say no? I think that the Federal Government has got the message. The mistrust fueled by actions on all sides means that the government needs to go with only those states that are ready. If the trust is rebuilt and other states see that it can profit from Ruga, then they can adopt it. Not before. One Nigeria is also about respect for one another.

Will you say you’re satisfied with the state of security in Nigeria presently and what are your suggestions to bringing about enduring peace?

Satisfied with security is a luxury we cannot afford. There is a lot of work to be done. But unlike many who see security as strictly a Federal Government assignment, I see it as much more than that. Seeing what insecurity has done to Rivers State, I know the limits of the Federal Government. I also know the limits of the police. Taking Rivers as a case study, we see you need social security too. Free health and free education and the refocus on the creation of jobs have a direct correlation with insecurity.

The fact that we are No 1 in unemployment cannot be unconnected with our levels of insecurity. Is that strictly Federal Government? No. Is that a police problem? No. Nigerians focus on Abuja as a fallout of military regimes gone by. They have not upgraded their thinking to what goes on in their states or in their local governments. As a result of this archaic and analog thinking, they give governors a free certificate to deliver if they like. Not me.  I can go on and on about what to do as I have done in the past, but I’m not sure anyone is listening. The absence of consequence is the beginning and the end of the problem. If it is profitable to be disruptive and a menace to society, why would people not be? If arming youths actually wins elections, why won’t armed youths be a new normal? And if that is the new normal and there are no jobs, why won’t there be insecurity? I have said we need to be tough on crime, but also on the causes of crime. I’m glad the United States’ embassy has taken some action, following the elections, albeit a tap on the wrist. We know what to do but for selfish reasons, we don’t or won’t want to do it. Support the right people to lead even if you have to make a personal sacrifice. That is what I have done. I try to lead by example.

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