Since the return to civil rule in 1999 the PDP has been the dominant party in the predominantly riverine state. It was the contention of analysts that if the 1999 election had held simultaneously in the state like the rest of the country, the APP candidate, Chief Francis Doukpola would have won the poll given the latter’s popularity. But the Kaiama declaration and its attendant youth restiveness led to the postponement of election, a development that worked in favour of the PDP.