Dumo Philips/Port Harcourt
If you think that politicians quarrel forever wait until where there is common interest matter between two of them. It was gathered that the Minister For Transportation and former Governor of Rivers state Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has been in the news as he held meeting with Etche Opinion holders where he told them that he must reconcile with his friend Chief Allwell Onyesoh who is vying to be elected into the coming 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2019, His reasons being that there is no-one among the current leadership of Etche politicians that he can trust and that can tell him the truth about political happenings except Chief Allwell Onyesoh.
Before now there has been series of endorsements from various political pressure groups from Etche/Omuma calling on him Chief Allwell Onyesoh to come out and contest for the Rivers East senatorial seat under the All Progressive Congress APC, platform, even ex Lawmaker Barrister Adokie Oruwari who is from Okrika ethnic nationality and others from Wakrikese have come out to adopt Chief Allwell Onyesoh as their Rivers East Senatorial Candidate.
However Chief Allwell Onyesoh is yet to come out in the open to make public declaration as he is said to be studying the political terrain knowing full well that the incumbent senator chief Andrew Uchendu who is from Emohua an Ikwerre ethnic nationality. With Chief Andrew Uchendu’s ascendency to the 8th Senate it makes it twice for Ikwerre ethnic nationality to occupy such position since late Chief Dr. Obi Wali went to the Senate in the 2nd Republic. And for the Okrika in Wakrikese ethnic nationality they have had it twice in the persons of late Senator James Sekibo Udo Abaji III of Okrika and Senator George Thompson Sekibo from Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area having been there at the 7th and early 8th Senate until he lost an Electoral Petition Tribunal Court case to Chief Andrew Uchendu in a rerun in 2016.
It is only Etche ethnic Nationality that had not produced any Senator since 51-years that Rivers state was created on 27th of May, 1967. Still Etche ethnic nationality had not produced Governor, Deputy Governor, and Speaker of the House of Assembly or Deputy Speaker House of Assembly or Chief Judge of Rivers state since 51 Years running. And should Chief Allwell Onyesoh picks the Rivers East Senatorial ticket it is assumed that irrespective of whoever is his challenger from any political party in the zone he would come out on top of the poll based on his acceptability among the three ethnic groups that make up Rivers East Senatorial district which include Ikwerre, Wakrikese and Etche.
Chief Allwell onyesoh’s political pedigree remains very strong and he has influence and control of who gets what in Etche as he leads senator Magnus Ngei Abe’s 2019 Governorship bid under the aegis of “THE MEETING” a group of ALL PROGRESSIVE CONGRESS –APC supporters most of who served under ex Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi from 2007 to 2015.