A former Benue State Commissioner for Power, Renewable Energy and Transport, Barrister O.M. Omale, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to intervene in what he described as a political imbalance in the Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Omale, a former Legal Adviser of the APC in Benue State, alleged that Apa Local Government Area had been marginalised in the political arrangement governing the representation of the federal constituency.
In a petition addressed to President Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Omale warned that failure to respect the alleged zoning agreement between the Apa and Agatu components of the constituency could affect the party's chances in the 2027 elections.
The petition, which Omale said he signed on behalf of aggrieved APC members in the constituency, was made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.
The former commissioner traced the political history of the constituency since 1999, arguing that Agatu Local Government Area had occupied the House of Representatives seat for a significantly longer period than Apa.
According to him, Rt. Hon. Solomon Agidani, an indigene of Agatu LGA, represented the constituency from 1999 to 2011, spending 12 years in the House of Representatives.
He said the seat shifted to Apa LGA in 2011, when Rt. Hon. Adamu Entonu represented the constituency for eight years until 2019.
Omale noted that the seat subsequently returned to Agatu, with Hon. Godday Odagboyi Samuel representing the constituency from 2019 to 2023.
He added that the current representative, Hon. Ojotu Ojema, is also from Agatu LGA and will complete his tenure in 2027.
Based on the representation pattern, Omale said Agatu would have occupied the federal constituency seat for 20 years by 2027, while Apa would have held it for only eight years.
He described the disparity as unfair and called for corrective measures ahead of the next election.
“From 1999 to 2027, the seat of Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency is occupied for a period of 20 years by the people of Agatu Local Government Area and just eight years by her counterpart of Apa Local Government Area,” Omale stated.
He argued that the alleged imbalance contravened a zoning agreement reportedly reached by political leaders of the constituency in 2010.
According to him, the zoning arrangement was intended to ensure fairness, equity and peaceful political coexistence between the two local government areas.
Omale further claimed that other political parties had zoned their 2027 House of Representatives tickets to Apa LGA, while expressing concern over the position of the APC.
He said the continued failure to address the concerns of Apa could deepen feelings of exclusion and resentment among party members and supporters.
The former APC Legal Adviser appealed to the President and the party's national leadership to act swiftly to preserve unity and strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 polls.
He said his appeal was made in the interest of justice, equity and political inclusion.
Omale warned that the APC could face electoral consequences in the constituency if the concerns surrounding the zoning arrangement were not addressed.
He therefore urged the party leadership to ensure that the alleged agreement was honoured by allowing Apa LGA to produce the next APC candidate for the House of Representatives seat in 2027.