In Igbo, we would say that a child erroneously calls a male friend of his
or her mother the concubine, forgetting that not all male friends to a
woman are her concubine, and not all female friends to a man are his
mistress. This is to say that what somebody does not understand is far
bigger and mystery to the person.
Prince Tonye Princewill, de Eagle and de Rock is far bigger than any
misinformed political calculation againt him. Reading in one fora, a
jaundiced commentator characterised him as an unserious politician.
Whatever that means! Perhaps, the commentator said that to massage the ego
of his pay masters or mistresses. As we can see, many desperate politicians
are on the prowl to maim, malign and cause mayhem against other
politicians, because of the bleating 2015 elections. But one wonders why
the commentator should talk about Princewill he or she does not know too
well (apart from biased comments in the media from his rivals) and may not
understand him except he or she comes closer to Princewill.
Princewill is a man who believes much in Nigeria, repealing any forms of
ethnic sentiment. If he were a desperate politician, as the traducer wanted
him to be, Rivers State would had combusted in 2007, when it was clear that
he was rigged out of the 2007 gubernatorial elections, which he contested
under the ship of the then Action Congress (AC). Does the commentator take
‘desperation’ for ‘seriousness’? Princewill is not a desperate politician
and is not unserious. He is a social democrat, who believes much that
politicians are not supposed to cause mayhem in their country, just because
of the quest for political positions.
Princewill frowns at extremism and any theory supporting violence and its
instigators, as a man who had spent part of his youthful age in Europe.
Princewill cannot be expected to be playing “a do or die” brand of politics
most politicians play in Nigeria, which is typically what has held
Nigeria’s democracy backward over a decade of its actualisation from the
hand of the rapacious military.
Greed for political positions which has become the migraine in our
democracy cannot for now be said is associated with Princewill. He sees
this as the bud which germinates into violence and social discord; and the
executioners of this are very perceptible. Was it because “do or die”
politicians are on rampage, which Princewill is not associated with that
the thoughtless commentator sees him as an unserious politician? If what
the ridiculous commentator meant by ‘seriousness’ in our political
environment is when violence and social discords are recorded from a
politician, then it is imperative to say that Princewill is not interested
in violence, because from his posturing, he loves humanity and Nigeria,
more than any positions or the individual.
It is insidious when commentators who are supposed to be the light of a
given society become dangerous themselves with extremists and terrorists
mindset; the difference between armed terrorists and pen-terrorists is that
the former cause instantaneous trauma, but the later are capable of
destroying a whole generation in an insignificant manner.
Why Princewill is different from the traditional politicians is that he is
of the belief that social distortionists do not last forever. A given state
will ever overcome any form of armed insurgencies, no matter how long it
may take.
In his theory, Princewill believes that a “State” and “Government” are not
the same. It is also applicable that non-violent Princewill and violent
politicians are not the same. If we must take seriousness by its classical
interpretation, we will agree that Princewill is a very serious politician,
but unlike what has been characterised as ‘serious politicians’ in our
country, judging by the evil definition of the word in our political circle.
However, we can’t say that Princewill is perfect. And who is? There has not
been any perfect political leader or a perfect political state. There is no
head of state, commissioner, local government chairman or councilor,
minister, governor whom seriousness can be attributed to, if the person
does not bring to fore the plight of his or her followership before any
ungracious political position. Prince Tonye Princewill is a serious
politician!
In reality, Princewill is a politician who does not exist in
un-seriousness. Remember what we say in Igbo? Princewill would say: In
temporal politics, deliverance is gradual and, as I have said, often
painful; and deliverers don’t arrive on white horses with thundering hooves
or swoop down from the heavens on silver clouds. The growth of nations
occur, not as radical leaps and bounds, but as gradually diminishing
imperfections — averaged out in political time.
