By Joe Ezuma
Assistant Editor, South South
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his predecessor now Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, have started rolling up their sleeves for the battle of influence in the senatorial election rerun on December 10.
The Senate has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to complete all outstanding elections, especially in Anambra and Rivers, by December 10 or the Chamber would suspend legislative business until the ballots are held.
Rivers politicians are not happy that their representatives are not participating in the debate on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that has undergone second reading in the Senate.
TheNiche learnt that this is the feeling in the two major political parties in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Alliance (APC).
Magnus Abe, APC senatorial candidate in Rivers South East, welcomed the Senate directive and expressed optimism that Wike would respond positively.
He accused Wike of causing the delay by the INEC due to his persistent threat to the lives of INEC staff.
Both the PDP and APC have high stakes in the remaining senatorial seats, especially that of Rivers South East.
The APC at the national level wants to enhance its numerical superiority in the Senate.
Abe remains the only major loyalist of Amaechi who has not got a plum political post. Him winning the seat is therefore important to Amaechi, who wants to stabilise his political base at both state and national levels.
Before now
Desperate to mop up the remaining seats at the state rerun elections on March 19, the APC and PDP went for each other’s jugular, each trying to choke the other in battle strategy.
The star seats include the Rivers West, East, and South East Senatorial Districts as well as a few ones at the House of Representatives.
The murky political water in the state has been made murkier by the loss of seats the APC hoped to win in the March rerun.
On the other hand, the PDP has been viewing every step taken by the APC and its federal government with suspicion since the APC mounted the saddle in Aso Rock in May 2015.
It saw the suspended declaration of the results of the March rerun as a move to rob it of its senatorial portfolios.
Allegations back and forth
Abe has alleged diabolical designs by the PDP and its supporters in his constituency to deny him victory.
He accused the PDP of plotting to organise a protest march against the release of the Tai Council result of the legislative rerun election.
A statement issued by his media aide, Pary Benson, said the media committee of the Abe Campaign Organisation discovered “another plot” by the PDP to discredit Tai Council result “by organising a protest march.”
Wike and the PDP countered that the APC and the INEC are working in synergy to thwart a PDP victory.
The Tai Council result was declared inconclusive after the INEC suspended voting in the March 19 rerun.
It had earlier set up a committee to review already cancelled elections to the chagrin of the PDP.
Wike accused the APC of using the INEC to generate tension by attempting to manipulate the vote in eight councils.
He said the declaration of the result inconclusive in Tai Council, the base of Abe, was to give him a head start in the next rerun, warning that it could be a recipe for a crisis.
Wike recalled that the APC after the March 19 rerun had demanded the cancellation of the election but turned round to ask the tribunal to declare APC candidates winners.
INEC
On Thursday, November 3, the INEC indicated interest in conducting the rerun election in Rivers in particular but complained about the environment not being conducive.
INEC Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Nick Dazang, who spoke in reaction to the threat by the Senate on November 2, said a conducive environment is the key to the rerun ballot.
He expressed regret that though the commission is ready for the election, some stakeholders in Rivers are not cooperating with it.
He recalled that as a sign of good faith the INEC had engaged the stakeholders in several meetings in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
Dazang lamented that the efforts of the commission were truncated by the incessant violence in Rivers caused by the inflammatory comments of politicians.