2023 : Akamkpa/Biase Coalition invokes sections 6, 18 of Calabar-Ogoja accord in favour of microzoning

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A group has invoked sections of the 1980 Calabar-Ogoja Accord in respect of the 2023 forthcoming general elections billed across the country and 36 states of the Nigerian federation.

The Coalition of Akamkpa-Biase Stakeholders, CABS have cited Sections 6(a) and 18(i) the famous 1980 Calabar-Ogoja Accord in respect of supporting their arguments of/for microzoning the office of governor of Cross River to the Akamkpa/Biase Federal Constituency.

This disclosure was made on Thursday in Calabar the state capital metropolis during a press conference organised by the CABS where they frowned against marginalisation, social exclusion, domination and injustice by other federal constituencies which constitute the Southern Senatorial District of the state.

In a statement signed by Chief Emmanuel I. Evong representing Biase LGA and Ntufam E. Itogim Anom representing Akamkpa LGA and cited by NEGROIDHAVEN it was stated that, ‘it is instructive to note that section 6(a) of the 1980 Calabar-Ogoja Accord states that for ‘‘Governor, consideration will be as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A very special note has to be taken to the fact of the principle of rotation, whereby any community/senatorial district shall not produce a governor twice in succession. Where any senatorial district produces a governor, in the first instance, it will fall on the other senatorial district to produce a governor during the next run’.

Stressing their arguments the statement continued, ‘Section 18(i) of the Accord further maintains that “as a necessary corollary of this agreement, the concept of senatorial district equality and even development, shall also be applied in the relation of the various clans/ethnic groups within each of the Senatorial District”.

Their statements proceeded to explain, ‘That implicit in the above clauses is the fact that the group, community or part of the Southern Senatorial District that produced the governor of Cross River State from 1999 to 2007, cannot in succession produce the next governor in 2023, when other ethnic groups within the zone have not produced a governor. In the spirit of the Accord, that is tantamount to marginalisation, social exclusion, domination and injustice.

The coalition then threatened to align with the Central Senatorial District against the southern senatorial district of the state should their agitation be disregarded.