For many keen observers of political events in Rivers state the
governorship election appears to be between the candidates of the All
Progressive Congress, APC , Dr Dakuku Peterside and Governor Chibuike Amaechi
on one side and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Barr Nyesom
Wike and wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs Patience Jonathan on the
other side.
BraveheartNija
Though the
First Lady, Mrs Jonathan is not visibly involved in the day to day
campaign of Wike the way Amaechi has taken to stumping for Peterside, but
observers know that she is one of the power brokers pulling the strings for
Wike.
The campaigns have been very vigorous on the two sides as each of
the two major candidates have left nothing to chances. They have gone round
market places, motor parks and communities selling their programmes.
Another interesting and dramatic aspect of the campaign is the
effort by the two top contenders, Barr Wike and Peterside to win the Christian
community.
Wike & Peterside |
They have been very visible in churches. Charles Awiko said the
only thing they had not done was to serve as usher in churches. “I
am sure they would gladly do so to win the vote of any church if they had been
asked to do it”, he said.
Like Amaechi who has led his APC members on several long walk
campaigns to show that the party is popular among the people, Wike on his part
has done some walk. There was a day he trekked from GRA bus stop on Aba road
through the Port Harcourt Polo club road down to his campaign office to
showcase his popularity among the people.
Another intriguing aspect is the effort by the two camps to
explore protest as a campaign strategy.
It had been endless protest by members of the PDP and the APC in
the state in the last two months. Barely twenty four hours after
the APC and some 15 other parties marched in Abuja calling for the transfer of
the state Resident Electoral
Commissioner, Dame Gecilia Khan allegedly on account of her
alleged bias towards the PDP, PDP partisans embarked on a similar exercise on
Aba Road in Port Harcourt denouncing the action of the APC in Abuja and
also calling on the national Chairman of INEC, Prof Atahiru Jega to ignore the
demand of the party.
Another curious angle to the campaigns this time is the
involvement of pastors. There have been conflicting prophecies on what will be
the outcome of the election.
For instance Apostle Eugene Ogu reportedly prophesied
that Peterside would win the election. On his part, Bishop Elkanah
Hansen during a prayer session with some clergy men organised for
Wike recently said the PDP governorship candidate would win.
Violence has also been very visible in the campaigns. The two
parties have continued to blame each other for alleged cases of
political killings in the state. The most recent case was the murder of Chief
Christopher Adube, an APC chieftain alongside two of his children and three others
on Good Friday night at his residence in Obrikom community, Ogba Egbema Ndoni
local government area.
His son Henry Adube believed his father was murdered
because of his political affiliation.
Despite the anxiety, the state Commissioner of Police, Hosea Karma
and leaders of the various political parties, including the state government
have continued to appeal to voters to come to exercise their franchise
tomorrow.
election fever every where
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