In less than 24 hours of his suspension from the Labour Party, LP, over alleged anti- party activities, Rivers State governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Prince Tonye Princewill has sued for peace in Rivers State, stating that the interest and security of Rivers people were paramount to him, arguing that a fresh election would likely result to violence, and deprive Rivers people the desired peace.
Refusing to allign with either APC or PDP over the outcome of the highly controversial election in the state, Princewill in a statement obtained exclusively by DAILY POST said, “We see the two of them as birds of the same feather, fruits of the same tree and two sides of the same coin, so rather than add fuel to their fire, we will opt to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
Princewill also dismissed any possible court action over the election, adding that he will not go “down the road of a huge legal expense to pursue “justice” in court since a repeat election, if it were to come, may only reproduce an even bloodier outcome which will also be the subject of litigation.
He said that, “In spite of the flaws in the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission still went on to announce a winner. As law abiding citizens, we can not stop him (Wike) but we promise him, we will always be here to remind him, Rivers state must always come first.”
Reacting to his alleged suspension, the LP candidate said that his decision not to align with any of the two political parties was solely responsible for the decision as some party members are aggrieved over his position. He accused them of placing more emphasis on money instead of peace in Rivers State. He however assured that the friction would be addressed in due time as the love of “money is the root of all evil.”
He said, “On the subject of my purported suspension by the Labour Party; let me plead with members of the public and our many party faithfuls, not to be distracted. The love of money is the root of all evil. Our decision not to align has not gone down well with some party faithfuls. All will be resolved soon. And justice in the end will always prevail. Friction is a function of interaction. This is a party of laws. We must and we will follow them.”
Read full statement below:
Princewill rejects alignment with PDP or APC. Opts for peace.
After a marathon meeting of the expanded Princewill campaign team where we sat to analyze the just concluded 2015 general elections, the organisation critically looked at the four possible options before our team
The options were:
1. Go to court to challenge the just concluded gubernatorial election,
2. Align with the PDP and help Wike improve Rivers State,
3. Align with APC and fight this injustice,
or
4. Stand alone, don’t go to court, but remain available to help the state and the country move forward.
The house took into deep consideration, the realities on ground, the welfare of Rivers people and most importantly the opinions of the general public, who we had engaged via various media over the past few days.
Our decision is outlined below.
It is no longer in doubt that the election in Rivers state was neither free nor fair nor credible. Rather than the jubilation of a victory or the recriminations of a defeat, I and my team prefer to keep searching for peace. The bloodshed is simply too much and the thirst for even more appears palpable. Who will be left for us to lead? How much more of this can we take?
After careful consideration therefore, I and my political associates have decided, not to align with either of the other two political parties but to stand with Rivers people for the sake of peace and long term prosperity. We see the two of them as birds of the same feather, fruits of the same tree and two sides of the same coin so rather than add fuel to their fire, we will opt to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
We are also not inclined to go down the road of a huge legal expense to pursue “justice” in court since a repeat election, if it were to come, may only reproduce an even bloodier outcome which will also be the subject of litigation. In spite of the flaws in the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission still went on to announce a winner. As law abiding citizens, we can not stop him but we promise him, we will always be here to remind him, Rivers state must always come first.
Neither APC nor PDP are my enemies. They were just my opponents in a game of politics. It is time to put the past behind us. So from today, I and my team pledge to do whatever is in the people’s interest to help Rivers state and Nigeria move forward. That is simply paramount. That is what is important. We came to contest elections, not to fight a war. We are here to serve.
Rivers people have been through hell, with no jobs, the business community can help us resolve that. They can do a lot better and if we help them thrive, investors could be willing to come. But first we must have peace. Let our internal divisions and our politics not deny our children the bright future we all need.
On the subject of my purported suspension by the Labour Party; let me plead with members of the public and our many party faithfuls, not to be distracted. The love of money is the root of all evil. Our decision not to align has not gone down well with some party faithfuls. All will be resolved soon. And justice in the end will always prevail. Friction is a function of interaction. This is a party of laws. We must and we will follow them.
Signed
Prince Tonye T.J.T Princewill Labour Party Gubernatorial candidate Rivers state.
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