By Henry Ojelu

As the issue of zoning continues to take center stage in the political space preparatory to the 2023 general elections, stakeholders and members of the Ekeremor Stakeholders Forum have taken their agitation to the State Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, over an existing zoning agreement between Ekeremor and Sagbama Local Government Areas.

Insisting on an existing mutual agreement between the two Local governments where the Senate and House of Representative seats are alternated, the stakeholders said it was the turn of Ekeremor local government to produce the next senatorial seat in 2023.

Speaking on the matter, the Chairman of Ekeremor Stakeholders Forum, Agbede Martin, said, “We have an understanding between the two Local Government areas. We alternate the Senate and House of Representatives seats. We’ve been doing that but noticed little signs that are not palatable. So we decided to come, advise and inform the party”.

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Lending his voice on the need to stick by the existing agreement, Dein Benadoumene, the Vice Chairman of Ekeremor Stakeholders Forum, said “Our Senatorial District is a stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. And we don’t want anything that will create rooms for the opposition to come in. That’s why we brought the documents, which are on zoning; to say that come 2023, Ekeremor will produce a Senatorial candidate while Sagbama will produce the candidate for House of Reps”.

One of the critical stakeholders in Ekeremor, Donald Daunemigha, also buttressed on the existing agreement between the two Local Government areas.

He said: “The zoning arrangement that was entered between the two Local Governments is what we still stand by. And we are calling on the party to also ensure that every member of the party respects that zoning arrangement”.

The State Secretary of the PDP in the state, Gesiye Isowo, while addressing the stakeholders on behalf of the State Party Chairman, said, “The leader of this party is the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State. And we’ll also advise that such very sensitive issues should be taken to his table. And when they are discussed at that level, I believe these issues will be amicably resolved”.

The Ekeremor stakeholders left the Party Secretariat in Yenagoa with high hopes that the party leadership will see cogent reasons to allow the existing mutual agreement to be respected in the interest of peace and progress of the PDP in the state.