AHEAD of the primaries of the various political parties in Ekiti State, the people of Ikole Local Government Area have demanded that the Ekiti North Senatorial District seat be reserved for the area.
This was part of the resolutions of the Council-of-Obas in the area under the leadership of the Elekole of Ikole and Paramount Ruler of Egbeoba Kingdom, comprising of the 24 communities that made up Ikole Local Government Area.
They appeal to the political leaders to zone the ticket to the local council to erase the marginalisation of the area since 1999, saying fairness and justice should be the guiding principle in the allocation of political offices in the state.
Since the return of the country to democracy in 1999, other councils have produced the senator representing the senatorial district at the Upper Chamber.
Moba produced the senator for Ekiti North Senatorial District twice in 1999 and 2003 while Oye, Ido/Osi and Ilejemeje local government areas had the privilege in 1999, 2007, 2011 and 2015, respectively.
However, with the 2019 elections approaching, the Ikole people want other local councils in the district to allow the local govt to produce the next senator.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former chairman of the state Local Government Commission, Chief Ranti Adebisi, confirmed the appeal of the traditional rulers.
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In a chat with newsmen, he said Ikole, having the largest voting strength among the five councils making up the senatorial district, should be given the nod to produce the next senator for the district.
Adebisi urged the remaining four local councils in the district to concede the senatorial ticket to Ikole people in the interest of justice and fairness and appealed to interested aspirants to intensify their campaign and work together to ensure that the local council produced the next senator
The APC chieftain who said the party leadership should allow fairness and justice to prevail said he was only lending his voice to the wishes and desires of the traditional rulers.
He called on the state governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi and national deputy chairman of the party, Chief Adeniyi Adebayo, the demand of the people, stressing that he would abide by the decision of the APC leaders on the issue.
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