Cries of Injustice: Ibesikpo Ward 5 Faces 7 Decades of Exclusion from Chairmanship

 

As the people of Akwa Ibom State prepare to elect leaders at the grassroots level in the forthcoming local government elections, all is not well for Ibesikpo Ward 5 in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.

To this end, the ward has raised alarm over what they describe as a deliberate and brazen marginalization in the chairmanship seat, potentially resulting in a 72-year wait before they would have the opportunity to produce a chairman.

Our investigations revealed that only Ibesikpo Wards 4 and 5 have been left without producing a chairman for the local government, and the upcoming elections were expected to favour these two wards. 

Many aspirants from Ward 5, having invested considerable resources in consultations and preparations, were shocked to discover that a group of leaders in the Local Government, three days ago, surreptitiously re-zoned the chairmanship seat, effectively sidelining their ward. 

This move, according to an enlarged group of leaders in the area, is perceived as a maneuver by the clandestine group to install a puppet and crony in a position of authority over the entire local government. 

In their effort to seek justice and fairness, the people of Ward 5, known for their strong support of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 1999, organized a peaceful demonstration at the residence of the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Nsikan Linus Nkan.

The placard-carrying protesters, including youths and women, on Saturday, voiced their grievances and highlighted their loyalty to the PDP. They emphasized that their ward has produced capable leaders who could bring unprecedented development to all 12 wards of Ibesikpo Asutan if given the chance to serve as chairman.

The demonstrators appealed to Commissioner Nkan and other people-centric leaders in the area to intervene and rectify the situation, stressing that without them speaking the truth at this time, Ibesikpo Ward 5 might have to endure the skewed arrangement that would see the 12 wards taking turns every six years, effectively ensuring that no one from Ward 5 would be alive to witness their turn 72 years later.

They also used the occasion to pledge their continued loyalty to the ARISE agenda of the Umo Eno administration, while appealing to him to intervene and stop what they described as the daylight robbery of their rights for the sake of posterity.