…Says It’s Turn Of Briggs Compound
As Rivers people eagerly await the April 17, 2021 Local Government Election across the State, calls are mounting on the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to allow the maintenance of rotational chairmanship across the various Wards in the state, in the interest of justice and fair play.
One of such calls is coming from the PDP in Briggs Compound of Abonnema, comprising Wards 4, 5 and 6 in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the State.
In a letter addressed to a chieftain of the PDP in the State and Chairman of PDP AKULGA Leadership Forum, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, the affected Wards said it would be in the best interest of the party and principles of democracy to allow rotational council chairmanship also known as ‘Turn by Turn (TBT).
In the letter which was jointly signed by Ward 5 Chairman, Mr. Tonte Alabraba and Secretary, Mr. Songo Membere, they stressed that the understanding of chairmanship rotation has been observed by successive administrations since the inception of the current political dispensation in the country in 1999 to date.
In the letter which was copied to Governor Nyesom Wike, Ambassador Desmond Akawor and nine other eminent personalities in the party, the affected Wards chronicled the list of those who has served as AKULGA Local Government Council Chairmen beginning from the Late Hon. Ngo Reuben Briggs of Briggs Compound (Ward 4) from 1999-2002 up to the incumbent, Hon. Rowland Charles Sekibo of Manuel Compound who served from 2018 to 2021.
“It is important to point out that the incumbent Council Chairman, Hon. Rowland Charles Sekibo has, prior to his election in 2018, successively served as Member, Caretaker Committee (6 months), Chairman, Caretaker Committee (about 12 months) immediately followed by his election as Council Chairman in 2018-2021 (3 years)
“The practice of Rotational Chairmanship has brought rancor-free local council elections, peace and stability in the LGA and it is the wish and prayer of all well-meaning party members in AKULGA that, at the expiration of the current tenure of the incumbent Chairman who is from Manuel Compound in 2121, the Chairmanship position should go to Briggs Compound in compliance with the letter and spirit of the “Turn by Turn” (TBT) arrangement”, the Wards declared.
The petitioners also alleged gross marginalization of AKULGA Ward 5 in terms of elected and appointed offices at the state level and appealed to the leadership of the party in the LGA to take their appeal to Governor Wike for reversal of the trend in the interest of justice and fairness.
“The records are available to show that Wards 4 and 6, at one time or the other, have produced Elected Council Chairmen, Caretaker Council Chairmen, Hon. Members of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Commissioners in the State Executive Council, Special Advisers, etc”, adding that even in the current administration, the Commissioner from AKULGA is also from Ward 4 while Ward 5 has never had any of those offices, now or before.
