By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – AHEAD of the 2027 General Elections, a political pressure group known as the Akoko-Edo Concerned Elites and Citizens has alleged marginalisation of a section of the local government precisely Constituency I from both elective and appointive positions.

The group however commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for trying to create a balance in his recent appointments.

In an open letter to the governor endorsed by the Chairman and Secretary of the group, Chief Bamidele Zamijude Mr Oriloye Martin, they demanded that the slot of the House of Representatives ahead of the 2027 election be ceded to Constituency I have been held by the incumbent, Hon Peter Akpatason since 2011and that by 2027, he would held it for four consecutive terms.

The statement commended Governor Okpebholo for trying to create some balance with the appointment of Rt. Hon Adjoto as Chairman, Edo State Local Government Service Commission and Architect Emmanuel Fashanu as CEO, Edo Flood, Erosion & Watershed Management Agency.

The group said “Your Excellency did not merely assume office; you arrived at a critical hour in Edo’s political journey, when long-standing imbalances demanded correction, and when silent injustices yearned for a listening heart.

“Through deliberate actions and thoughtful appointments, you have demonstrated that governance is not about conquest, but about healing, inclusion, and fairness.

“For over sixteen uninterrupted years, the House of Representatives seat has remained exclusively in Akoko-Edo South (Constituency 2) under the continuous tenure of Hon. Peter Akpatason, while the same constituency repeatedly dominated the Local Government Chairmanship and a disproportionate share of state and federal appointments. This prolonged concentration of power created a painful sense of exclusion for Akoko-Edo North, whose patience, loyalty, and restraint were tested but never broken.

“Against this backdrop, Your Excellency’s intervention has been both timely and commendable. Your appointments into key positions were not acts of political patronage, but bold statements of corrective justice.”

The group said the Okpameri Nation which form the bulk of Constituency I controls four major wards and accounts for over 50-60 percent of the total voting strength of the local government area and that the bulk of the total votes that came from the local government area during the governor’s election came from the area.

“With humility and sincerity, we appeal that the House of Representatives ticket be zoned back to Akoko-Edo North (Constituency 1) and entrusted to any qualified son of Okpameri Nation. This appeal is not born out of rivalry, nor is it a contest of dominance. Rather, it is a plea for healing, balance, and historical closure, a request to finally correct a 16-year imbalance that has lingered far too long.”