Gladiators test their strength at Niger East senatorial by-election

The Niger East Senatorial seat became vacant as a result of the demise of Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta who until his death was serving a second term.  Incidentally, Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu hails from the senatorial zone, but he has distanced himself from claims that he favours any candidate that would ‘hold’ the seat in […]

The Niger East Senatorial seat became vacant as a result of the demise of Senator Dahiru Awaisu Kuta who until his death was serving a second term.  Incidentally, Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu hails from the senatorial zone, but he has distanced himself from claims that he favours any candidate that would ‘hold’ the seat in trust for him till he (Aliyu) is constitutionally qualified to contest in 2015.  For the PDP, the delegates at the primary election from the nine local government areas in the senatorial district voted for a former deputy governor of the state, Dr Shem Zagbayi Nuhu.
He polled 372 votes against his only challenger Abdullahi Musa who also incidentally was in the House of Representatives, who garnered only 14votes. In the APC senatorial primaries, Barrister David Umaru, a former governorship aspirant, defeated Bala Adamu Kuta who incidentally too was a member of the House of Representatives and also contested the Governorship primaries of the then All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Both Zagbayi and Umaru are not strangers to the politics of Niger State as they have tested their popularity with the electorate and to a large extent Zagbayi emerged victorious at least by virtue of his 8 year stint as Deputy Governor of the state when Engineer Abdulkhadir A. Kure held sway as the governor of the state for two terms. Unlike some others who took part in the contest and felt aggrieved and left the party to join opposition parties, Zagbayi remained with the PDP.
Umaru could be a formidable opponent, a veteran of gubernatorial battles, who made three unsuccessful attempts to get the crown. But some think that an appropriate compensation for a devoted party man like Zagbayi would be victory at senatorial by-election under the PDP banner.  
 
Dipo Laleye, Minna