These are trying times for Senator David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, the former Senate President of Nigeria. Mark is a politician that has achieved a lot in the political circles and has also held several posts while in the military which includes Governor of Niger State and Minister of Communication.

Mark has also held the position of the president of the Senate since 6 June 2007 and has been one of the top men who dictated how the country was governed all these years. He has also been one of the pillars of the PDP and at a time announced that he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country's democracy if need be.

Mark it has been reported several times has done little for his Idoma people who he represents but like the proverbial cat with nine lives keeps winning re-election. While the road network in his community has been called a death trap and his community still in abject poverty , the distinguished Senator owns a home with an helicopter and helipad at the top of the house despite the fact he has remained a low-paid public servant all his life.

Mark meet his Waterloo when he was re-elected but his party lost out in the presidential and general elections. Hence, it would be nearly impossible for him to be re-elected as the Senate President and his party became the minority in the senate. Hence, the Senator Bukola Ahmed Saraki was re-elected. Ever since that moment , life has never been the same for the Idoma born Mark as he rarely contributes anything during meeting in the floor of the senate. The former Senator has been so quite that it is rumoured he is yet to get over the shock of the loss of his party in the 2015 elections. Things got worse when the Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi sacked the Senator and ordered a re-election which has been scheduled to hold on February 20 2016. This was after his election victory was challenged by the APC candidate, Daniel Onjeh.

With the election preparation in top gear, not much has been heard of the former minister of communication . While many of his supporters and loyalists have abandoned him for the ruling party , Mark has been unusually silent and was conspicuously absent during his political rally last week.

While most people of Idoma descent confess to not liking him all along, they also reveal that they had been voting him because he promised to see that a new state (Apa State) is created for the Idoma people as the Senate President, as they have been unfairly marginalised by the more dominant and populated Tiv. With their hopes high, these people had returned him back to the Senate Chambers with little or no fuss.

Problems started for Mark when they realised he is no longer the Senate President, hence can't do much for their cause. It is clear Mark is fighting a lost battle as the people have deserted him realising he had fooled them all these while.

Mark's silence might also mean a certain style of strategy he has employed, but with clock tickling fast, it is difficult to see Senator David Mark return re-elected to the senate.

Source

Mailtelegraph..com