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Ahead of the November 2nd Local Government Elections in Cross River State, the entire Wanikade people have made a passionate appeal to His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Otu and All Progressives Congress leadership to consider the ward in fielding the party’s chairmanship candidate.
The call aligns with the principle of justice and fairness as stakeholders of Wanikade Ward have called for fairness, justice, and equity by advocating for the zoning of the APC chairmanship ticket to their ward in the upcoming local government elections.
It highlights a long standing tradition within Yala Local Government’s politics particularly the zoning arrangements between Constituency 1 (Yala) and Constituency 2 (Ukelle) with an established accord in 2010 in which committee led by Hon. (Bar) Ogana Lukpata formalised this zoning formula of ensuring a rotation of leadership positions among wards in Ukelle without conflict.
Historically, each time the chairmanship is ceded to Ukelle, Ukelle leaders often meet to micro-zone to a specific ward that has not previously held the position.
Citing instances, the people noted that “for instance in 2007, when the chairmanship was zoned to Ukelle, the leaders selected Mfuma/Ntrigom Ward, resulting in the election of Hon. (Bar) Fidel Egoro. Similarly, in 2013, the chairmanship again went to Ukelle, with the Igede Ward being selected and this led to the election of Hon. Mike Ede Usibe.
Notably, during these meetings, Wanikade Ward was explicitly designated to receive the chairmanship in the next cycle given that it had not yet held the position in Yala Local Government Area.
Since the local government’s inception in 1991, Wanikade Ward has been the only ward in Ukelle to have never occupied the chairmanship which is a significant representation imbalance.
While appealing to Senator Otu and the party leadership to ensure equity and justice especially considering the fact that other wards in Ukelle have had different stints and tenures Chairmen in Yala Local Government Council while Wanikade has not had a shot at the council at any time which amplifies the plea for justice, equity and fairness to the ward.
As the local government elections approaches with expression of Intent Form by All Progressives Congress, the Wanikade stakeholders stress the importance of addressing this historical disparity. They also argued that zoning the chairmanship to the ward would promote equitable representation in Ukelle and Yala Local Government Area.
The Wanikade stakeholders expressed gratitude to His Excellency’s leadership an Barr Alphonsus Eba’s leadership of APC in Cross River State. They however appealed for balanced representation in chosing the party’s flag bearer as it moves forward in the electoral process.
