As the 2027 General Elections draw closer, the political conversation across the Obudu/Bekwarra/Obanliku (OBO) Federal Constituency is gradually moving beyond the familiar question of which local government area should produce the next member of the House of Representatives.
At the heart of the emerging debate is a more fundamental question: what should determine representation when the prevailing rotational arrangement has completed its cycle?
Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the three local government areas have, at different times, produced representatives for the constituency.
Bekwarra produced Hon. Mike Ogar between 1999 and 2003 and Rt. Hon. Legor Idagbo between 2015 and 2023. Obudu produced Rt. Hon. Paul Adah between 2003 and 2011, while Obanliku produced Rt. Hon. Francis Busam Adah between 2011 and 2015 and the incumbent, Hon. Peter Akpanke, from 2023 to 2027.
Viewed against this sequence, supporters of the rotational principle argue that the present tenure completes the participation of all three local government areas in the prevailing cycle.
Their contention is that, once the current tenure expires in 2027, the existing rotation should be regarded as having run its course, thereby opening a new political cycle in which none of the three local government areas can reasonably claim an automatic entitlement to the seat.
That interpretation has become particularly relevant as competing arguments emerge over the principle of “concurrency” and whether it should determine the origin of the next representative.
Those who reject the concurrency argument maintain that rotation, by its very nature, must eventually return to a starting point. Once Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku have each participated in the existing cycle, they argue, the constituency enters a new phase in which the electorate should be free to consider the individual candidates and their respective records.
It is within this emerging political landscape that the candidature of Professor Zana Itiunbe Akpagu has attracted considerable attention as the emerging choice.
Professor Akpagu brings to the contest a profile shaped by academic leadership, institutional administration and government service. He served as the 10th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, becoming the first alumnus of the institution to rise to that position.
His public-service experience also includes service as Commissioner for Education in Cross River State, followed by an appointment as Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Governmental Affairs and Special Duties.
For his supporters, these roles are significant not merely as titles, but as evidence of exposure to complex institutional and governmental responsibilities.
They point to the relevance of such experience to legislative representation, particularly in areas such as policy formulation, public-sector administration, institutional management, inter-governmental engagement and oversight.
The argument being advanced by the Akpagu camp is therefore that the post-2027 political conversation should not be reduced to the geographical origin of a candidate; Rather, it should examine what each aspirant has done, what each proposes to do and what capacity each possesses to translate the mandate of the people into effective representation.
For a Federal Constituency comprising three local government areas with diverse communities and development needs, the responsibilities of a representative extend beyond occupying a legislative seat. They include effective advocacy, federal intervention, legislative participation, oversight, constituency engagement and the ability to articulate local priorities within the broader national framework.
It is on this basis that Professor Akpagu’s combination of academic leadership, government experience and public administration comes to heart and his exceptional records across his resume.
They argue that his experience could be deployed towards advancing human-capital development, attracting federal projects and interventions, strengthening institutional engagement and giving more structured attention to the interests of constituents across Obudu, Bekwarra, and Obanliku.
The 2027 contest is expected to bring Professor Akpagu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into competition with the incumbent, Hon. Peter Akpanke of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince KJ JD Agba of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), among other aspirants.
With the contest taking shape, the central issue may increasingly become whether the constituency should approach the new political cycle through the prism of geographical succession or through a broader assessment of individual capacity.
The end of a rotational cycle does not, in itself, determine who should emerge. It merely changes the basis upon which competing claims are presented.
Ultimately, the constitutional mandate belongs to the electorate of Obudu, Bekwarra, and Obanliku. Their votes will determine who occupies the OBO Federal Constituency seat from 2027.
For supporters of Professor Akpagu, however, the transition into a new cycle presents an opportunity to place greater emphasis on experience, competence, public-service record and capacity for effective representation.
The unfolding contest will therefore provide the electorate with an opportunity to examine the records, programmes, qualifications and leadership experience of the various contenders before making its choice.
As the zoning cycle gives way to a new political chapter, the defining question may no longer be simply “whose turn is it?”, but “who has the record and capacity to represent OBO effectively?” And Sir. Prof. Zana Itiunbe Akpagu (KSM, JP) fcai, fipmd, fsfs., of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the best and preferred choice.
