SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: AGAINST THE IMPOSITION OF ZONE 2 AFTER 20 YEARS. CALL FOR JUSTICE IN IMEKO-AFON STATE CONSTITUENCY

The coming election in Imeko Afon State Constituency demands clarity, not confusion. It is a mistake to allow the structure and outcome of the House of Representatives election to dictate who represents us in the State Assembly. The two offices operate on different mandates, different constituencies, and different responsibilities. Conflating them weakens representation and betrays the principle of every arm of government. It should reflect the present of the people it serves.

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‎ ZONAL ROTATION HAS BEEN IGNORED FOR TOO LONG

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‎Political representation in Imeko Afon State Constituency was structured into 3 major zones to ensure fairness and inclusion. Yet the reality does not match the structure. 

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‎Hon. Salmon Adeleke held the mantle for 8 years. 

‎Hon. Jemili Akingbade followed and occupied the seat for 12 consecutive years. 

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‎Both representatives emerged from the same zone 2. For two decades, the other zones have watched their chance pass by while one area monopolizes the position. Now there is even agitation for the creation of zone 4, which shows that the current framework is already straining under the weight of neglect. 

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‎The question is simple: what about the other zones? If zoning exists to create equity, then continuing to return the ticket to zone 2 destroys the purpose of that system. Consensus cannot mean repeating the same exclusion under a new name.

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‎ HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE RESULT CANNOT SET THE STANDARD FOR STATE ASSEMBLY AS IT HAS BEEN ROTATIONAL WITHIN THE 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: YEWA NORTH-IMEKO AFON. 

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‎The House of Reps seat for Yewa North/Imeko Afon Federal Constituency covers multiple LGAs and dozens of wards. Imeko Afon State Constituency is one LGA with 10 wards. That difference matters. State Assembly elections are won ward by ward, not by federal constituency margins.

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‎The idea that House of Representatives results should dictate what happens in the State Assembly race doesn’t hold up in Yewa North - Imeko Afon, and the main reason is simple: the political arrangement here has been rotational between the two LGAs.

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‎Rotation shapes voter behavior more than party waves. For years, the Yewa North/Imeko Afon Federal Constituency seat has rotated between Yewa North and Imeko Afon LGAs as an informal understanding to balance representation. That rotation creates a distinct voting pattern. When it’s Imeko Afon’s turn for the federal seat, the LGA mobilizes heavily for its candidate, while Yewa North focuses on holding its own Assembly separately.

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‎The federal result reflects that broader rotation deal. The State Assembly result doesn’t follow it, because each LGA is voting to secure its own local representation in Abeokuta, not to Abuja.

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‎ POLITICAL APPOINTMENT ARE TIED TO A MANDATE, NOT A BARGAINING CHIP FOR ZONING NEGOTIATIONS

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‎In Nigerian politics, there’s a tendency to treat political appointments like currency in zoning deals. That’s the wrong way to look at it. Political appointments are tied to a mandate, not meant to be traded to settle seat negotiations when it comes to zoning.Appointments exist to execute a mandate, not to balance a deal.

‎Governor appoints commissioners, SAs, and board members to implement the policies they campaigned on. The mandate belongs to the administration, not to a bloc that negotiated it during zoning talks. 

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‎When appointments are handed out purely to pacify a zone that lost a seat, you end up with people in office whose primary loyalty is to the deal, not to the policy. That weakens execution.

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‎Political appointments are different. They are administrative roles. Using them to compensate for zoning losses turns governance into a settlement house and creates an expectation that every political loss must be paid back with a position. That’s not sustainable.

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‎ THE KETU REGION CANNOT BE OVERLOOKED

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‎Imeko Afon State Constituency is also divided into two regions: Isokan and Ketu. For years, the structure has favored Isokan while Ketu remains sidelined in these distribution on formula and political opportunities. 

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‎The people of Ketu Region are asking a fair question: what is the cause of this zoning back to zone and what is the future of Ketu Region holding? 

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‎A constituency cannot grow when one region carries all the weight of representation while the other is reduced to waiting. True rotation builds bridges across both Isokan and Ketu, not deepens the divide.

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‎THE UNITY AND DEVELOPMENT OF IMEKO AFON STATE CONSTITUENCY CALLS FOR BALANCE POLITICAL SYSTEM.