On Gov. Amaechi’s Campaign Trail

The Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Campaign train on 16 March berthed in Buguma the ancestral home and headquarters of the Kalabari Kingdom. Buguma also serves as the headquarters of the Asari-Toru Local Government Area. This visit was also a homecoming for members of the Princewill Political Associates (PPA) because Buguma is the home base of its leader Prince Tonye Princewill, son of the reigning monarch King (Prof.) TJT Princewill, Amachree IX, Amanyanabo of Kalabari kingdom.

On arrival at Buguma, Amaechi paid a courtesy call on the Amanyanabo of Kalabari kingdom to seek approval and royal blessing for the rally in his domain. The Amanyanbo gladly gave his royal blessing. The governor proceeded to commission the new palace of the monarch.

On hand to receive the governor and his team at the playground of the Kalabari National College where the rally held were chiefs, community leaders as well as a cross-section of different groups, especially the PPA members who came in their numbers to support Amaechi.

Eminent Kalabari sons at the event included technocrats like: Prof Tam David West, renowned professor of virology and one time minister of Petroleum; Dr. Ombo F. Isokrari, member Board of Trustees of the PDP and one time managing director of NAFCON; Chief A. K. Horsfall, one time Director General of the State Security Service and. Chairman of the now defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC and most importantly a Presidential candidate of NRC during the Babangida era; leader of PPA, Prince Tonye Princewill; MD of NDDC Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha among others.

Chairman of ASALGA Hon Ojukaiye Flag Amachree in his opening remarks at the event, welcomed the governor and his entourage to the local government. In his speech, he acknowledged the role played by the Amaechi administration in restoring peace and sanity back to the area following the pain and misery suffered in the hands of the very same group he says have now emerged as the main opposition in the state. He reiterated the people’s commitment to ensuring that the 13 wards in the local government are delivered to the PDP during the April polls.

Also speaking at the occasion, Chief Isokrari expressed delight at being present for such a rally. He told the crowd that he could not attend the ASALGA PDP campaign rally in 2007 because to do so would have been putting his life at risk at a time when the area had been plunged into anarchy by state sponsored terrorism. He said he wasn’t at the rally to campaign for votes for Amaechi, but rather to mobilise the people to come out en masse to vote for PDP in the April polls. He thanked God that under the Amaechi administration PDP has since witnessed a rebirth in the state. He commended the governor for the various development programmes executed in ASALGA especially the provision of uninterrupted power supply for the first time in the history of Buguma since it came into existence as an island 130 years ago.

Professor Tam David West in his speech,  proved to the huge crowd why he is regarded as one of the most controversial social commentators the country has ever produced. Speaking glowingly of Amaechi’s achievement, he stated that anyone who claimed that Amaechi had not done anything in the state was “blinder than a bat”. He went on to say Amaechi’s opponents could be likened to “hamburgers without the beef”, in other words they lack the substance for leadership. Without mincing words, he said his support for Amaechi was not because of any pecuniary gain as he was not cut in the mould of an “eba and soup loyalist”. His decision to support Amaechi, according to him, was “ a well thought out one based on the extent of commitment Amaechi has to ensuring that Rivers people had the much needed development they had been deprived of for so long.” He went on to say he would support Amaechi with the “last drop of his pen and the last drop of his blood”.

Singling out Governor Fashola of Lagos State as another governor in the same league as Amaechi, he was quick to add that whereas Fashola had the privilege of building on legacies left by the Tinubu administration, Amaechi on the other hand started his administration from scratch. Armed with a copy of the Beacon newspaper of May 18-24 2010, he read to the crowd excerpts of a column he wrote titled “2011- WHO WILL CHALLENGE AMAECHI?” where he made predictions of the likely contenders for the seat during the polls. He said he had since been proved right since the two major contenders he had predicted to contest against Amaechi, though they had not signified any interest of wanting to take a shot at the office of governor back then in May 2010, were the same people who were poised to go against Amaechi at the polls in April.

His speech took on a sober tone when he confessed that being at the rally evoked a sense of bitter/sweet homecoming, because in his opinion the Kalabaris were not as united as they ought to be, stating that this disunity was the major setback that had prevented the Kalabari man from rising to greater political prominence in the state.

Also recounting how he was approached by some anti-Amaechi elements to withdraw his support for the governor, who they accused of propagating an ‘Ikwerrenisation’ agenda in the state, he received rapturous applause from the crowd when he stated emphatically that angel Gabriel had already sworn in Amaechi and that the election day was a mere formality similar to signing the dotted lines at a marriage, stating that any attempt to derail the process will be resisted and those who will do so will be bulldozed by the pen or by action.

Speaking also at the rally, Chief A.K. Horsfall, said he retired from partisan politics when he turned 65 and had had occasion to turn down numerous invites to political events. He, however, confessed that the lure of being at Amaechi’s rally was irresistible because Amaechi had impressed him along with other elders in the state. Speaking on the coming elections, he predicted that PDP would have at least 95% of the votes leaving the remaining 5% to be shared among the opposition. He also commended Amaechi’s brand of politics, stating that he admired his frankness, directness, sincerity and knack for confronting issues headlong. He said he was especially pleased by the renovation of the Kalabari National College, an institution he described as the cradle of education, civilization and development not just in the state but the entire Niger Delta region and used the opportunity to implore the governor to ensure that his second tenure would witness more development in the area.

Other speakers who spoke glowingly of Amaechi’s achievement and pledged their support were Pawariso Horsfall, one time commissioner for Environment; PDP returnee and one time commissioner for Health Dr. Ebi Member Otaji, Hon Michael West , Hon Daisy West, Deputy Governor Engineer Tele Ikuru, wife of the Governor Dame Judith Amaechi and Senator Wilson Asinobi Ake whose speech was quite memorable because not only did he commend Amaechi for what he described as his truthful stance and for creating a new picture of Rivers State, he also said that if Amaechi’s opponents dared to call upon God the way Amaechi does, they stand the chance of incurring wrath from above.

The Director-G of the campaign Barrister Nyesom Wike charged everybody to ensure that their wards were delivered for the PDP at the polls. Wike specifically told PPA members Princewill, to deliver Ward 3 and Osima Ginah a.k.a. “Demolition Man”, the commissioner for Urban Development and also Secretary of PPA, to ensure he demolishes the ACN in ward 13.

—Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt