Following the Court of Appeal nullification of the Rivers East Senatorial election results recently, the candidates are once more back to the trenches to re-strategise towards the re-run election coming up in February, 2012.
Though the major contenders are Senator George Sekibo of the Peoples Democratic Party (incumbent), Barrister Chizi Michaels Atata of the Action Alliance Party (who provoked the nullification) and Hon. Lasbery Amadi of the Action Congress of Nigeria, the odds favour the Action Alliance candidate.
However, the A. A. has suffered a setback to its ambition. Just as the party supporters were still celebrating the Appeal Court victory its national chairman Senator Suleiman Salawu suddenly slumped and died.
According to a statement by A. A. National Secretary, Barrister Kenneth Udeze, the late chairman passed on to glory on Friday December 16, 2011. The cause of the death is yet to be known but unconfirmed sources suspect cardiac arrest.
Senator Sekibo’s camp according to our investigation is in disarray as most of his supporters have switched over to the A. A. They reasoned that Atata is a better candidate as a seasoned lawyer of repute, a philanthropist and a practicing Christian with a strong character who would care for their interest. Some of them even complained that since Sekibo became Senator through their collective efforts, he disappeared to Abuja and never deemed it fit to appreciate them, despite their sacrifices. Further more the PDP supporters considered Atata to be more accessible and humane than Sekibo.
Though Hon. Amadi of the ACN is warming up for the contest, many political analysts say he was only coming to harness the Ikwerre block votes for Barrister Atata, as politics is a game of interest.
In one of his renewed campaigns, Amadi promised to clinch victory this time around if there would be no rigging as usual, adding that the election was annulled for the right candidate to occupy the position, but was silent on who the right candidate was. ###
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