ABUJA: With preparations underway for the 2026 local government elections in Edo State, the North Ivie zone of Etsako East has demanded that the chairmanship position be ceded to the area in the spirit of fairness and equity.
The zone, made up of Imiegba, Itsukwi, Imiakebu and Okpekpe communities, noted that despite its consistent support for successive governments since 1999, it has only produced the council chairman once, and even then, for just over a year.
North Ivie, considered a strong base of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, had delivered overwhelming votes for Governor Monday Okpebholo in the last governorship election. Yet, according to its leaders, the zone has been repeatedly sidelined in both elective and appointive positions.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, Convener of the North Ivie People’s Voice, Abdullahi Shaibu, urged political stakeholders to correct what he described as a long history of marginalisation.
The statement, titled “Etsako East LGA Election: North Ivie Zone is Unanimous in Its Chairmanship Demands,” stressed that both the young and old in the area were united in seeking the chairmanship slot.
“Since the advent of democracy in 1999, Ivie has only held the council leadership through Hon. Benedicta Attoh, whose tenure lasted just one year and three months before she was removed from office,” the group said. “This marginalisation must end. It is time for equity, fairness, and inclusiveness.”
The group further urged political actors from the area to step forward and contest, insisting that North Ivie has capable sons and daughters ready to lead.
“This is not merely a demand but a call for justice,” the statement added. “We believe zoning the chairmanship to Ivie will foster peace, unity, and sustainable development across Etsako East.”
