1st July, 2018
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, Prince Tonye Princewill, says the party will win the 2019 Governorship election in the state, if its leadership ensures that the right candidate emerges.
According to a statement issued by his Media Chief, Mr Wabiye Idoniboyeobu in Lagos on Sunday, Princewill cautioned the party against imposition.
He said that members must be allowed to choose their candidate via a free and fair primary election.
“Starting with the position of governor, we will decide who the cap best fits in the next few weeks, so that we can begin to sell him to our members aggressively.
“It has to be a team that can build on the 2007 blueprint Amaechi put in place. Amaechi left free schooling, free medicals in Rivers and grew our economy with the ushering in of peace.
“Intellectual capacity mixed with boldness and humility is key. Power must rotate,” Princewill said.
He, however, said that the team put in place in Rivers APC, under the Chairmanship of Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, “has all it takes to ensure that the APC wins the next election.”
Princewill urged members not to believe speculations that Mr Rotimi Amaechi would impose a candidate, citing the recently held congresses leading to the convention as an example.
“Amaechi delegated powers to those who knew their people. Whereas, in the past, he delegated powers to only a few people.
“Now he has delegated powers to many more and they are all critical to decision-making.
“APC will win in Rivers because the people are yearning for better leadership,” he said.
On the just-concluded National Convention of APC, Princewill said that the emergence of Adams
Oshiomole was a catalyst for the erosion of PDP in the South South, commencing with Rivers state.
“What we have now is a solid team headed at different tiers by warriors of change from the national to the state, local governments and wards.
“I don’t underestimate the task before us but I can categorically confirm that PDP will be history in Rivers come 2019,” he said.
Princewill was the 2007 Governorship candidate of the Action Congress (AC) in Rivers.
He declined to contest in 2019, saying that personal ambition should always be secondary to the ambition of the people of the state.