Stakeholders petition INEC, demand restoration of suppressed constituencies in Kogi

By Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja

A group of stakeholders in Kogi State, led by the Chairman of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Barrister Zacheus Dare, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address what they describe as long-standing political suppression of certain constituencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The petition was submitted at INEC’s state office in Lokoja by a team of legal practitioners led by Barr. Ayokunle Jonathan, who urged the commission to act in the interest of justice. The petitioners highlighted that the current 25-member Kogi State House of Assembly falls short of the constitutional requirement, which mandates that each federal constituency should have three or four state constituencies.

Examples of suppressed areas cited include Ajaokuta, Bassa, Kabba-Bunu, Ijumu, and Yagba land. Barr. Dare emphasized that the suppression renders the assembly wrongly constituted, lacking a legal quorum, and that any action taken by the house could be legally challenged.

Dare further called on INEC and Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo to restore the suppressed constituencies, stressing that the law prioritizes equity, fairness, and justice over population considerations.

“The law says three state constituencies per federal constituency requires 27 members; if four, 36. The current quorum is defective, and we demand restoration of all suppressed seats to ensure fair representation,” he said.

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