ACTION CONGRESS (AC)
RIVERS STATE

11-03-10
PRESS RELEASE
ALL ROADS LEAD TO PH RESIDENCE OF RIVERS STATE AC LEADER PRINCE TONYE AS
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT ((NDM) PLANS TO METARPHOSE INTO ACTION
CONGRESS (AC)- POLITICIANS ACROSS POLITICAL DIVIDES CLAMOUR TO IDENTIFY
WITH THE NEW VISION.

In an unprecedented political move, the first of its kind to be witnessed
in the political arena in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill has set in
motion the berthing of a Movement that is bound to change the entire
political climate of not only Rivers State but hopefully the entire
South-South Region.

Fresh from a series of meetings held by the NDM a fortnight ago in Abuja,
where he holds appointment as one of the three members on the Steering
committee from the South-south, Prince Tonye Princewill has since his
arrival in PH, been tirelessly involved in the mobilization of diverse
demographic groups and stakeholders for the purpose of sensitizing,
recruiting, regrouping and organizing them in line with the National
Democratic Movement’s vision of forming a Mega Movement to save Nigeria
from the throes of hardship and the threat of collapse occasioned by inept
PDP leadership.

According to him, the various meetings were a direct response to the
mandate given to members of the Steering Committee to sensitize, mobilize,
and enlighten their state constituency on the vision and guiding
principles of the NDM. The Prince of Niger Delta Politics also stated that
their mission was also to feel the pulse of the different groups by
gauging their responses and cataloguing same, which would then be
presented for deliberations at the NDM steering committee meeting slated
for the 16th of March in Abuja the Nation’s Capital.

He stated that three options were presented during their last meeting on
what the mega party structure would look like. He said that considering
the late timing in the formation of a new political party that will
challenge PDP at the polls and the failure of alliances in the past, the
Movement has decided to adopt AC as the consensus platform come the 2011
general elections. To this end the AC will be totally “restructured” to
accommodate new members from across political divides. This would involve
the dissolution of all its structures (in their entirety) at every level
from ward to local government to state and national to give every new
entrant a sense of belonging.

In the course of the sensitization drive he met first with Barrister Osima
Ginah, Hon. Commissioner for Urban Development, his counterpart in the
Special Duties Ministry, Dr. Ibiamu Ikanya, (the two opposition
Commissioners in the Unity Government of Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike
Amaechi), also with Chief Williams Igweh , Deputy Leader of Rivers State
AC and Special Adviser to Gov. Amaechi on Inter-Party Matters and his
state party Chairman Mr Alexander Suage Badey.

Subsequently within a three day interval from 8th through 10th March, 2010
he met and briefed the following Groups – The Rivers State AC Executive,
Womens Wing led by Dr. Mrs Edith, Youth Wing led by Mr Norisa Pepple,
members of the Forum of the Organized Opposition Political Parties (FOOPP)
comprising of 46 political parties led by Dr. Ikanya its Chairman; the
Rivers State Hausa Community led by Alh. Musa Saidu, Chairman of the
Rivers State AREWA Consultative Forum, Leadership of the various Markets
Women and Motor Parks in Port Harcourt, PMAN, AC Chapter Chairmen in the
23 Local Government Areas, Clergy led by Bishop (Dr) Boma Lawson of West
African Mission and Rev. (Dr) Ugoh Amadi, Technocrats, Professionals,
Artisans, Stakeholders led by Chief Lavender Longjohn, Elders etc. He
concluded his sensitization drive with the leadership of the South-South
Forum comprising various political leaders from Bayelsa led by Mr. Miriki
Ebikibina; Akwa Ibom led by Comrade David Ekanem, AK CNPP Chairman and
Cross River State led Comrade Cletus Obunu CRS CNPP Chairman.

The Groups gave their blessing to the new initiative of the NDM and stated
their willingness to fall behind the Prince in support of whatever the NDM
will metamorphose into as far as he is there. They all promised to ensure
that the Movement takes a firm root within the region. Below are some of
the resolutions reached by the groups.

1. All the Groups including the Organised opposition parties passed a
motion supporting and embracing the whole concept and spirit of the NDM.
II. They also mandated the Prince to represent and defend the interest of
all the Groups in the whole NDM arrangement.

III. They called on the NDM to emulate the ideals and the initiative of
the Prince in forming FOOPP comprising of 46 political parties in Rivers
State by reaching out to more political parties and stakeholders with a
view to assemble a formidable force to confront the PDP.

IV. They called on the leader Prince Tonye Princewill and the leadership
of NDM as presently constituted to prevail on the Rivers state Action
Congress to allow for a level playing field for intending members of the
NDM.

V. They pleaded to be carried along and more involved in the NDM not just
as individuals or as states but as a region.
Comrade Cletus Obunu who spoke on behalf of the four South-South States in
attendance, Bayelsa, Rivers, CRS and Akwa Ibom assure Prince Tonye
Princewill of their continued support and promised to effectively mobilize
back in their various states.

In his discussions with the various groups, Prince Tonye Princewill
articulated the importance for every group to understand that the period
of relegating affairs pertaining to the South - South region to the
background in the Nation’s polity is a thing of the past. To achieve this,
he said there is a need to, “take our destiny into our hands, since no
other region can fight our cause better than we can”. He further
reiterated the need to unite as a common force to be relevant in the
political vehicle that is poised to sweep out the disaster that is PDP. He
reminded everyone that the main reason why this step is different from
previous attempts aside from the calibre of persons involved is that for
the first time the process of respecting people’s mandate will begin from
within internal democracy is the watchword in this new Movement. Nigerians
should forget the insinuation going on in some quarters that either Alhaji
‘A’ or Mr. ‘B’ has been selected to fly the flag of the new Movement as
everybody interested in any political office within the new Movement will
be subjected to the will of members and Nigerians in general. We are in it
to assure that our country is respected all over the world as a democratic
nation.

In appreciation to all the Groups, Prince Tonye Princewill thanked them
for the confidence reposed in him and assured them that he will continue
to do his best to make sure all interests are represented in the scheme of
things by ensuring that their views and feelings are captured in the plan
of actions of NDM.

A minute’s silence was observed before and after each meeting as a mark of
respect for the victims (mainly defenceless women and children) of the
recent Jos massacre. Rivers state AC wonders how so many innocents can
simply disappear like the wind without a care in the world. Is security of
lives and property no longer the preserve of government? Can we not assure
the future of our country rested in our children and in our mothers of
being able to go to sleep and wake up in basic security? Our leader was
bred in Jos and lived in its outskirts in his early years. By implication
this means that he could have been one of those children or one of those
children could be him. What kind of Nigeria are we building?

Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze
Rivers State AC Publicity Secretary