Rivers AC’s Never-Ending Battle

On whether Amaechi won't prosecute Odili? That is not what would be expected of Amaechi. The leader of Action Congress in Rivers State, Prince Tonye TJT Princewill doesn't think people were indicted in the Eso panel report because the motive was to prosecute them. But then, he knows that the court of public opinion has already arrested and prosecuted Odili and the court of public opinion is very potent. Princewill, however, is sure that reconciliation will happen. That was the actual motive for the Commission. It happened in Rwanda. Rivers State is bigger than Odili and Amaechi. All the people that were involved are not bigger than the state. Princewill knows that Ateke Tom and Asari Dokubo have reconciled. The reconciliation that should happen has started to happen. Maybe some of the key players have more visible differences.

If we are to revisit issues surrounding the report of the Kayode Eso panel, Princewill would say he thinks it is different strokes for different people. If you ask him what the objectives were, he will say the panel was an alternative to a judicial panel of inquiry. If you ask Amaechi, Princewill is sure Amaechi will tell anyone that he (Amaechi) wanted to get to the root causes of the crisis in the state. If you ask (Dr. Peter) Odili, Princewill is sure Odili will say it was targeted at him. Without doubt, Eso himself was able to get to what the governor wanted, to reconcile people, to a great extent, they achieved that. But they have a long way to go.

However, Amaechi cannot claim to be saint removed from all what happened during the Odili years. Princewill is not arguing that. He said: “I don't think Amaechi has claimed to be a saint. What he tried to do was to show that he had no direct involvement in all that happened. I was waiting for people to come out with evidence to say this is what Amaechi did. I am surprised that nothing of such came. If we had anybody sitting down to get all that number of memorandum, I don't think he is that devil that people thought he was. I am keen on getting evidence. As far as I know, there is nothing in the report that implicates Amaechi. I have not seen the report but I have a fair idea of what is there. If there was any evidence against him, they would have brought them. Amaechi has come out unscathed in terms of his involvement in the crisis.”

Justifiably, it is in the rumour mill that Amaechi will not make the report of the panel public because his former boss is involved. Princewill is of different opinion: “I won't say justifiably so. But you see, you don't start what you cannot complete. You have spent so much money and made so much noise about the Commission. You assembled men and women of integrity and they produced a report and told you this is the way forward and you are developing cold feet. You don't do that. It is not fair because it will make some feel very uncomfortable.”

The issue is not about Amaechi and Princewill, as people would want to know if Princewill had discussed the aforementioned with Amaechi. Princewill says, “I have made my position to him very clear. He has to implement the report and make sure that the report sees the light of the day. People want to see it and know what happened.”

AC being a strong critic of Governor Chibuike Amaechi-led government of Rivers State, Princewill knows that Marshall Harry's sons were at daggers drawn with each other during the commission's sitting. But as of today, they have reconciled and are together. The party laughs at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which says President Umaru Yar'Adua will continue in office after 2011.

Hear Princewill: “It's not about the PDP, Yar'Adua, or the AC; it's about Nigeria. If you think you want to rule as a curse to Nigeria, then the people will one day say it is enough. We used to have a go-slow president, now it is an immobile president. The president is clearly underperforming. Why perpetuate an individual in office even when he is not performing and you say you love your country. The truth is that you have many politicians who are only interested in their pockets. I am into politics not because I like it, but for the sake of change. To keep Yar'Adua for eight years? I am waiting for him to come to the Niger Delta to campaign. I will suggest that the PDP should concentrate on what is good for the country and not what is good for them. If Yar'Adua does not have the carriage, the vitality, the energy and vision, a plan, not somebody who suddenly saw himself as president, I don't think we want to see more of Yar'Adua.”

Rivers AC has vowed to wrestle with the PDD. “I think people underestimate the opposition. The opposition is in a very good position to cause a stir. They should carry on, but people are seeing the handwriting on the wall. We will spring a surprise. Where we are now, we are surprisingly, not aggressively active. But you are sure that the PDP is already having problems. It has started in the South West. It will come to the South South. We are not complacent.”

Whether people are note seeing AC's signs of seriousness, the self-destruction of the PDP is the agenda now, rather than the resurgence of the AC. The PDP will have difficulties coming back. The PDP is saying that Yar'Adua must be in office for eight years to enable him see his Seven-point Agenda through? Princewill laughs, and said, “I read somewhere where somebody quoted the vice president as saying that the current economic downturn may affect the implementation of the Seven-point Agenda. So, what that means is that if the economic downturn gets harder, the President will need a third term. I think they are joking. People need good health care delivery, good roads and peace in the Niger Delta. He has got four years to deliver on this but Yar'Adua does not look serious.” Don't you think someone from the South South can do better?

Without doubt, “Yar'Adua is becoming quite unpopular. It will be a very big surprise if somebody from this area comes on board and does not do much, much better. I don't think Yar'Adua will like to come back.”

Princewill's take on the idea of an independent candidacy is not farfetched, as he would say, “I like the idea, although the country is not yet matured to get to that. You see, Nigerian politicians will always like to be loyal to somebody or some people. We will need to reform our electoral system if we want to achieve anything in this country.”

Asked how it would look if Princewill succeeds Amaechi? Hear Princewill, “Right now, my mind is not made up on anything. Right now, my major headache is how to move my state forward. I will continue to play my role of watching the government of Amaechi and guiding it to succeed. That is all I have on my hands now. How that translates into me succeeding Amaechi, I don't know.”

Dr. Brian Wilfred writes from Port Harcourt.