Tonye Princewill, Labour Party governorship
candidate for Rivers State at the 2015 general
election, in this interview, shares his views on
the judgment of the Tribunal, senate screening
of the ministerial nominees among other
issues. Excerpts.
After everything, the Rivers governorship
election has been annulled by the Tribunal
with an order for the conduct of fresh
election within 90 days. How do you feel
about this judgment?
Any lover of true democracy and justice who
witnessed what happened will not be
surprised with the judgment. I belong to that
group. The elections were neither free nor
fair nor credible, so they can’t stand honest
scrutiny. I have said this repeatedly. The
APC won the case for all of Rivers State,
kudos to them. In 2007, I fought PDP to a
standstill and the same people in the APC
today were the beneficiaries of my fight. It is
not about persons or political parties. It is
about the state. I did not say I am
celebrating the judgment. I said I am not
surprised by it. But in Rivers politics, the
analog politicians cannot understand the
difference.
People were confused as to which side of
the divide you belonged after Wike was
declared winner in the election, because you
didn’t contest the outcome in court. Won’t
your support of the judgment raise
questions?
Why? In my Post Election Statement in April,
I clearly highlighted my displeasure in the
outcome of the elections. I said, it is no
longer in doubt that the election in Rivers
State was neither free nor fair nor credible. I
added that rather than the Jubilation of a
victory or the recriminations of a defeat, I
and my team prefer to keep searching for
peace.

I lamented on the and just wanted it to stop. No matter how much we find justice, if so many people in Rivers State are killed, who will be left to lead. This did not only show my
disappointment in the conduct of the
election but also my concern over peace in
my state. It is not about taking sides with
PDP or APC, it is about the truth. Both
parties were violent. Not condemning the
elections would be tantamount to aligning
with the PDP, going to court would be
tantamount to aligning with the APC. There
was no additional value in my going to
court. I didn’t steal money so I will not
spend hundreds of millions on lawyers as if
my people do not need help for other more
important things.
The Labour Party in the State has
disassociated itself from your statement
praising the Tribunal’s judgment, on the
premise that you are on suspension. How
would you react to this?
To the best of my knowledge we have
freedom of speech and right of opinion in
Nigeria. My statements have always been
my opinion and until recently, my party has
always fallen in line with my thinking. From
what I gathered, the state party Chairman
dissociated the party from my recent
comments on the outcome of the tribunal;
but it baffles me that the party’s position is
in line with the same comment they now
disown. They after all submitted a petition to
the same election tribunal. It’s also funny to
note that a chieftain of the party condemned
the judgment only a few days ago, claiming
to be speaking on behalf of the Party
Chairman. This is not just an
embarrassment to my party, but a clear
indication of poor leadership. I’ll leave him to
his conscience. I have mine. No matter how
much inducement you put in front of me, I
cannot say black is white. People need to
realize we are now in a digital world. Black
and white TVs have been replaced by colour.
You dragged the party leadership to court
over your suspension, what is the position
of the case at the moment?
Yes, I did. I saw no justifiable reason for the
purported suspension, so I simply took my
concerns to the court. If people have been
induced to kick me out of the party, the
attempt should be made properly, not based
on baseless allegations. He claimed anti
party activities. Tell me; are his current
actions not anti party? My lawyers have
briefed me that the Party leadership has
severally snubbed the court proceedings. I
know the court will soon come up with a
position on that matter, like they did on my
candidature. Till then, I remain a proud
member of the Labour Party and the
movement. He remains in contempt of the
court.
Do you see yourself doing better than you
did earlier should you partake in the
anticipated re-run as LP candidate?
I am yet to take a position on the role to
play in the rerun; but even if I do partake, it’s
really not about me. It’s about the decision
of the people. They all know the political
players in the state. They all know the
possible after effect of a PDP or an APC
victory. Politics is not war. There must be a
winner and a looser. I am comfortable with
either, because I am not desperate to be
Governor; PDP and APC are. How that will
produce a peaceful Rivers State, I am yet to
find out. If Rivers People want Unity, Peace,
a Government they can reach and believe
that their votes will count, I believe my style
of politics will have a better chance. PDP
and APC need to adopt it. If they do, I may
even support one of them. What matters is
the state to move forward.
You said after the election that you were not
aligning with either APC or PDP as allegedly
requested by some people in your party. Do
you still maintain your non-alignment
stance, despite the Tribunal judgment that
sacked Wike and others?
Yes, I do. I stand outside the PDP and the
APC box and with the peace loving, forward
thinking people of Rivers State. Not a
popular position for many of our politicians,
but it is here I find comfort. My opinions
may help APC today or PDP tomorrow; that
is not my problem. I do not speak for them.
What remains consistent is my commitment
to the comfort of the common Rivers man. I
believe that the hate for Amaechi or APC
because of what they did to Jonathan
should not cloud our judgment and stop us
from saying the truth. If PDP is the
beneficiary of this sham today, APC should
know that they can’t try it tomorrow. Will I
not complain if that happens? Of course I
will. If electoral violence is excused today, it
will become normal tomorrow.
What can you say about the controversy that
surrounded Amaechi’s ministerial screening
at the Senate, particularly from Rivers
Senators?
We’ve waited so long for this, and are eager
to see the difference it will make. And like I
always say, President Buhari is the
President, whether his administration is
moving the nation fast or slow, we should
focus more on helping him, than pulling him
down. I know Amaechi; and I know his
abilities. He worked seriously for the APC
and if he missed the VP slot and the SGF
slot, why should PDP lose sleep if he
becomes a Minister? I was praying we don’t
disgrace ourselves before the world. I am
glad we did not totally disgrace ourselves. I
am not sure his inclusion did the President
any huge favours in perception ratings, but
perception is subjective to the individual and
so we will leave each to their own. PDP gave
us Wike. APC has given us Amaechi. Rivers
people are watching. I believe though that
with the right motivation, cross party
support and a little prayer, he can be a
useful tool in Buhari’s cabinet. Let us leave it
to God.
Again, let me just say I hope it is over. After
a while it became too much, I lost interest. I
advise the PDP senators, they should let it
be – they have made their point. I am happy
that the amusement for some has been cut
short. I was abroad and I know what people
who mattered are saying about us.
Do you regret not defecting to the APC way
before the 2015 elections?
Why should I? The ideology of the APC at
that time was, “Bring down Jonathan”, and I
was on a totally different wavelength. So
regretting is not a possibility. I am also
happy I left the PDP. You can’t mistreat a
man with a mandate and expect him to stay
silent and clap for you. Not me. I have
supporters. I have a caucus and I do not act
alone. We listen and we learn. Of course we
make mistakes. That’s why pencils have
erasers. But in all, we do it not for ourselves
but for the Rivers people.
What is your take on the ongoing anti-
corruption campaign?
The anti-corruption campaign was the
foundation of the Buhari campaign, so it is
expected that a lot would be happening in
that area. So far, so good, but it is yet to
enjoy the confidence of all sides. The reason
for this is obvious. Not a lot of APC people
are in the dock. I suggest we stay tuned,
there is still plenty time for that. No man
who is just settling in will fight on too many
fronts. Besides it is for the agencies charged
with these responsibilities to do their work,
unless there is evidence to show, the
Presidency is interfering, let us await the
results.

Source : http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/11/pdp-apc-must-sacrifice-to-have-a-violence-free-rerun-tonye-princewill/

Hmmmmmm

Confused politician... Neither here nor there