As political parties brace up for their primaries, a case has been made for the Abia North Senate seat to be ceded to Arochukwu Local Government Area to end years of marginalisation of the area.
An articulate pressure group in Abia State, Old Bende Political Forum, has argued that of the three federal constituencies that make up the Abia North Senatorial Zone, Arochukwu/Ohafia has been shortchanged in producing the senator representing the zone.
At a news conference in Ohafia on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Forum, Mazi John Okafor, regretted that whereas Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency has only held the Abia North Senate seat once since the return of democracy in 1999, the other federal constituencies have held it between two and five times.
“Isuikwuato/Umunneochi has held it four times with Senator Ike Nwachukwu and Senator Uche Chukwumerije, while Bende Federal Constituency has held it twice with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, the incumbent. Equity demands that it should now revert to Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency,” it submitted.
The Forum noted that within Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Ohafia Local Government has dominated in holding political offices, having produced the deputy governor of the state for three tenures, while Arochukwu has had none.
“Accordingly, we are pleading with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cede the ticket to Dr. Philips Nto from Arochukwu Local Government for justice and equity, and to ensure an easy sail during the main election.”
It also declared that since Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, would most likely be the governorship candidate of the APC in Abia State, it makes more sense to move the Senate seat to Arochukwu LGA.
“It won’t make sense for both the governorship candidate and the senatorial candidate to come from the same Bende Local Government. There should be balance to give other areas a sense of belonging,” the Forum insisted.
It reiterated its earlier stance on the choice of Ben Kalu for governor and Philips Nto for the Abia North Senate seat, saying that both of them represent the state’s first eleven.
The Forum expressed confidence that the APC will win Abia in 2027 if the two candidates are fielded alongside other equally qualified candidates from the other zones.
According to the Forum, “these candidates have the capacity and the pedigree to win elections. They are dynamic and educated young men who have proven their mettle in different areas of human endeavour, including leadership.”
