By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Benue State chapter, has thrown its wealth behind the Enone discuss regarding the popular opinion held by many well-meaning people across party lines, that Okpokwu Local Government Area be allowed to produce the next member of the House of Representatives.
Chairman of APGA in Benue State, Comrade Joseph Ogli, who made position of the party known in a statement he personally signed and made available to NationsPride, Monday, in Makurdi, said it is incumbent on APGA as a political party that uphold fairness, equity and justice in democratic representation to provide clarity on the historical trajectory of the zoning arrangement.
Ogli recalled that at the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the political leadership of Ado, Okpokwu and Ogbadibo local government areas reached a mutual understanding to rotate the House of Representatives seat among themselves in a two-term of eight years cycle, stressing that the arrangement was designed to provide inclusivity, peace and balance within the constituency otherwise known as Enone political family.
Ogli revealed that under this understanding, Ado Local Government took the first turn in 1999 with Ambassador Sam Obande, whose second term was unfortunately truncated due to internal political disagreements, explaining that for the purpose of maintaining consistency in the zoning arrangement, the political leaders decided that this tenure of Ambassador Sam Obande, which was cut short, be ignored and not reckoned with.
“For the purpose of maintaining consistency in the zoning arrangement, the political leaders decided that this tenure of the Ambassador cut short be ignored”.
He said the baton then passed to Okpokwu Local Government through David Idoko who served two consecutive terms between 2003 and 2011, pointing out that thereafter, Ogbadibo Local Government Area produced Hassan Saleh who also served two consecutive terms from 2011 to 2019.
The APGA chairman, recalled that in 2019, Ado Local Government ascended to the seat through Dr. Francis Agbo, who served one term until 2023, adding that with the election of Chief Philip Agbese in 2023, Ado Local Government is concluding the first phase of the zoning.
“In line with the spirit and letter of the zoning arrangement, the next turn, come 2027, naturally belongs to Okpokwu Local Government Area”. Ogli declared pointing out that APGA’s position is grounded in logic, equity and fairness as the original intention is that each local government area should spend a straight two-term in office.
Ogli who argued that the zoning template is never a personal favour to any politician or political party but a collective covenant designed to ensure that no Local Government perpetually dominates the other in political representation, emphasized that Okpokwu, which last produced a member of the House of Representatives sixteen years ago, deserves to take its rightful turn in 2027 as a matter of justice and continuity.
While APGA respects the ambitions of every political actor within the Enone Constituency, it urged Enone family to collectively resist attempts to manipulate or distort the zoning arrangement for selfish or partisan purposes, pointing out that zoning will always remain an effective instrument for managing political competition and fostering peace in diverse constituencies across Nigeria.
He pointed out that any attempt to undermine zoning in the federal constituency would amount to a betrayal of the trust and understanding that held the Enone family together for over two decades, promising that APGA, as a people-oriented and justice-driven political platform reaffirmed its commitment to rotational equity as a binding principle of fair representation.
The party called on all political leaders, traditional institutions, youth groups and stakeholders across the three local government areas to respect this long- standing understanding and work towards a seamless transition that reflects the collective interest of the people, emphasizing that the unity of the federal constituency lies in collective commitment to justice and mutual respect.