In every thriving democracy, fairness is not merely an aspiration, but the foundation upon which legitimacy stands. The story of Boki II State Constituency is one that calls not for sympathy, but for sober reflection and decisive correction and action. It is a story written in the ink of history, where patterns of representation reveal a troubling imbalance that can no longer be tolerated or ignored.
Since 1983, the mantle of representation in the State House of Assembly has rotated across several wards with Hon. Charles Kekung (1983-84) of Bunyia/Okubuchi Ward, Hon. Gerald Odok (1991-93) of Ogep Ward, Rt. Hon. Mark Bukie Obi (1999-2007) of Oku/Njua/Borim Ward, Rt. Hon. Jake Otu Enyia (2007-2015) of Buda Ward, and the incumbent Rt. Hon. Hilary Bisong (2015-Date) of Ekpashi Ward. Yet, conspicuously absent from this roll call is Kakwagom/Bawop, a ward that, despite being an integral part of Boki II, has never been entrusted with this mandate.
In consonance, the constituency has also prided itself on a clan-based rotational arrangement among Osokom I, Osokom II, and Irruan. This unwritten but respected agreement ensured balance, wherein Oku/Njua/Borim (Osokom II) held sway from 1999 to 2007, Buda (Irruan) from 2007 to 2015, and Ekpashi (Osokom I) from 2015 onward. By this established order, the next turn should naturally revert to Osokom II, within which the principle of fairness demands a deeper look because Kakwagom/Bawop, remains the only ward without representation in the State Assembly.
The same pattern of exclusion echoes in the history of council chairmanship within the constituency, where leadership has circulated among Hon. Robert Eriom (1988-89) & Hon. John Ewa (2019-22) of Bunyia/Okubuchi Ward, Hon. Joe Tateh (1996-98) of Ogep Ward, Rt. Hon. Jake Otu Enyia (2003-2007) of Buda Ward, and Hon. Jonas Obi Otu (2010-2013) of Oku/Njua/Borim Ward, while Kakwagom/Bawop and, until recently, Ekpashi have remained sidelined. This is not a coincidence, but a structural oversight that has persisted across decades.
To ignore this reality is to undermine the very logic of rotation because equity is not served when inclusion is selective, and justice is not achieved when one unit is perpetually overlooked. The argument here is not rooted in sentiment, but in verifiable history and moral clarity.
It is also crucial to distinguish between mandates because representation at the federal level, such as in the House of Representatives, is drawn from a broader constituency and cannot be used to justify imbalances at the state level. The State House of Assembly seat is the collective mandate of the six wards that constitute Boki II, and each deserves its rightful place in that cycle.
Kakwagom/Bawop Ward stands today not as a petitioner seeking favour, but as a rightful stakeholder demanding balance. The call is simple yet profound: return to the natural order, restore the rotational equity that once defined Boki II, and uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and inclusion that give democracy its meaning.
Just as the South argued that rotation shouldn’t be disrupted at the state level, the people of Kakwagom/Bawop are pointing to a similar disruption at the constituency level. The historical record outlined above shows that while other wards and clans have benefited from the rotational arrangement, Kakwagom/Bawop has remained consistently excluded. This is not merely an omission, but a structural imbalance comparable to what the South experienced prior to 2023 General Elections.
Anything short of this risks eroding trust in the system and weakening the bonds that hold the constituency together. But by doing what is right; allowing Kakwagom/Bawop, its long-overdue turn, Boki II can reaffirm its commitment to unity, integrity, and true democratic practice.
The time to act is now.
Signed,
Concerned Boki II Stakeholders
