A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has recounted how the 2007 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress (AC), Prince Tonye Princewill, and then-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, formed Nigeria’s most successful Government of National Unity (GNU).
In a statement issued over the weekend to celebrate Princewill’s 56th birthday, Eze, who is also an authority on the history and culture of the Kalabari Kingdom and its people, revealed that despite an offer of N1.5 billion to frustrate Amaechi at the tribunal, Princewill insisted on doing the right thing.
He said, “Princewill is a grassroots politician who made history in 2007 when he decided to join forces with Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to form the most successful unity government in Nigeria.”
ALSO READ: Tinubu condoles with Ondo over SSG’s demise
“According to his account of the alliance, Princewill said, ‘We took the decision at the time that the enemy of your enemy is your friend,’ indicating that his opponents were Celestine Omehia and his ‘godfather’, Dr. Peter Odili, the former Governor of Rivers State, when Rotimi Amaechi was installed as Governor by the court.
He claimed that the decision to withdraw his case was made even easier because the same people who offered him N1.5 billion to withdraw his case later returned with an offer of N1.5 billion and evidence of how they rigged the election against him, intending to keep his case in court with the goal of removing Rt. Hon. Amaechi.”
“Tonye Princewill later led members of the opposition parties in Rivers State, under the banner of the Forum of Organized Opposition Political Parties, to form a unity government with Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi’s administration.”
The party chieftain added that, notwithstanding opposing voices, Tonye Princewill stands undisputed as a prominent figure in the politics of Rivers State and the Niger Delta region in general.
The former publicity secretary of the defunct nPDP described Princewill as a special breed and a rare gift to humanity, whose selfless service has undeniably transformed the lives of countless people both within and outside Rivers State.
It was also revealed that, aside from being the governorship candidate of the Action Congress in 2007, Tonye Princewill was the Labour Party candidate in the 2015 governorship election in Rivers State.
A political associate of former Vice-President of Nigeria, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, and the former Governor of Lagos State and incumbent President of Nigeria, Senator Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Eze said Princewill has remained an inspiration to the younger generation, especially those aspiring for greatness and yearning for a better, more prosperous, and united Nigeria.
