OPINION

Princewill’s political seriousness

 By Odimegwu Onwumere

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.