BY ANAYO OKOLI

SENATOR Uche Chumwumerije who became a champion of the anti-third term lobby that derailed President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alleged third term plans is today stuck in a battle for his own third term in the Senate.

The Abia North senatorial contest pits Chukwumereije of the ruling PDP and Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, the immediate past governor of Abia state who is running on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA as the main contenders.

Chukwumereije ironically dumped the PPA about 8 months ago for the PDP. The contest will clearly be the center of attention in the state as the two contestants could rightly be described as heavy weights in their own rights.

Abia North is comprised of Arochukwu, Bende, Isiukwuato,Ohafia and Umunneochi council areas. While Chukwumererije hails from Umunneochi, Kalu is from Bende. The presence of both PDP and PPA is well noticeable in the zone, hence the expected tough contest.

Saturday’s election will be like a “war” between the two because until about 8 months ago they were jolly good fellows in one political party, PPA, but now they could be described as the greatest political enemies, and are now in opposing parties.

Though Chukwumereije is the sitting Senator, facts on ground indicate that he will not find it easy to return. He has a serious battle to fight with Kalu and the two also have their ugly past to contend with in the fight. And it is believed that they know each other very well and what they are capable of doing when it comes to election scheming. Until they fell apart, Kalu was a close ally of Senator Chukwumereije and even assisted him to go for second term under the PPA platform.

The odds against Chukwumereije will include his bid to return for third time which some people in the zone opposed. Though the controversial PDP return-all-incumbents favoured him to get the ticket, what will happen in the main election is yet unknown.

Again, there is the argument in some quarters in the zone that his native Isuochi is having undue overbearing political advantage in the zone. He and the House of Representative candidate in the person of Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyeagocha also of PDP are from Isuochi community. Other people from the zone, especially people from communities in the Local Government Area, especially, the Old Bende axis of Isiukwuato, Uzuakoli, Bende, Arochukwu and Ohafia, are strongly kicking against his return to the senate. That perhaps accounted for why he faced the highest number of challengers during the PDP primaries, which he won. Any protest vote against him will boost Kalu’s chances.

However, the name of President Goodluck Jonathan which all the PDP candidates in the state, at all levels, are touting could do a miracle for him. Every PDP candidate in the state hinges his or her campaign on President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Theodore Orji who indeed has been campaigning for the return of all PDP candidates in the state. The name of President Jonathan if it will do any miracle may also favour Kalu as his party; PPA has since adopted him as the man they will vote for as they have no presidential candidate.

And for Orji Kalu, being a former governor of the state for 8 years, no doubt, he wields huge influence in the zone. He is grounded and he still has his supporters all over the zone, especially those he assisted personally or their communities when he was the governor. This relationship, if he harvests it very well will help him on Saturday.

His minus will be the bad image his family bears. An average Abian is made to believe that Kalu and his family ran down the state and that they made Governor Theodore Orji not to perform well.

The state government is at the forefront in the war against Orji Kalu since he fell out with the incumbent governor and if the people buy into this campaign, it will be a herculean task for him winning the election. Though, despite this campaign some people in the zone in hushed voices, still praise and route for him. The Abia North election can be said to be a straight fight between Chukwumereije and Orji, and it could go either way but the odds favour Orji more.