The Kogi State House of Assembly, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately restore 12 suppressed state constituencies, in accordance with constitutional provisions, court judgments and recent resolutions of the National Assembly.
The call which followed the motion, moved by the Member representing Kabba/Bunu State Constituency, Hon. Seyi Bello, noted that the 1999 Constitution empowers INEC under Sections 112, 114 and the Third Schedule to conduct constituency delimitation and ensure equitable population distribution across constituencies.
The lawmaker said Section 91 of the constitution prescribes that states must have between three and four times their number of federal constituencies represented in their State Assemblies.
With Kogi having nine federal constituencies, Hon. Bello explained that the state should constitutionally have between 27 and 36 State Assembly seats.
“Kogi State currently has only 25 constituencies, which falls below the constitutional minimum.”
He recalled that upon the creation of Kogi State in 1991, the First Assembly had 32 constituencies, however, a 1998 INEC review suppressed twelve constituencies including Kabba-Bunu II, Ijumu II, Koton Karfe I, Yagba West II, Adavi II, Ife/Ogodu, Igala Ogba, Okura, Enjema, Dekina Town, Olamaboro II and Bassa-Nge/Gbirra.
Hon. Bello who described the suppression as a grave violation of the constitutional rights of the affected communities, referenced two court cases: a 2014 suit by the Kogi State Government, which in 2015 secured a Federal High Court judgment ordering INEC to restore six constituencies in Kogi East; and another by Omoluabi Olabode Adeyemi seeking the restoration of Kabba-Bunu II Constituency.
The lawmaker further drew attention to a March 19, 2025 resolution by the House of Representatives directing INEC to restore suppressed constituencies in both Kogi and Delta States, adding that the continued delay denies citizens their right to full and fair representation.
Expressing concern, the lawmaker said the failure to conduct the delimitation exercise has deprived the state of equitable development and weakened democratic representation for over two decades.
Lawmakers from various parts of the state strongly supported the motion, citing demographic growth, constitutional imbalance and historical evidence.
They referenced areas such as Adavi/Okehi, Koton Karfe and Olamaboro, which previously had multiple constituencies and even produced more than one Assembly member, backed by court judgments and archival records.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, who praised the depth of the motion, saying the Assembly maintains complete records of constituencies dating back to 1991, directed the Clerk to immediately compile and attach relevant documents including the 1992 Assembly register and certified court judgments before communicating the resolutions to INEC Chairman, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
KOGISTATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, LOKOJA
EIGHT LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
MOTION ON THE NEED TO URGE THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) TO RESTORE THE SUPPRESSED STATE CONSTITUENCIES IN KOGI STATE IN LINE WITH CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS AND COURT JUDGMENTS
The Rt. Hon. Speaker and my distinguished Honourable Colleagues, I rise this morning to move the motion on the urgent need to restore the suppressed State constituencies in Kogi State, in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, judicial pronouncements and recent resolutions of the National Assembly.
House to kindly note that the constitutional mandate vested in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Sections 112, 114 and the Third Schedule, Part I of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) is to divide every state in the federation, through a process known as constituency delimitation exercise, into constituencies of roughly equal population, and to review such division at intervals of not less than ten years.
House to further note that Section 91 of the same Constitution stipulates that the number of seats in a State House of Assembly shall be three or four times the number of seats the State has in the House of Representatives. With Kogi State having nine federal constituencies, the constitutional requirement prescribes the number of seats in the Kogi State House of Assembly to range between twenty-seven (27) and thirty-six (36) constituencies, yet the State currently has only twenty-five (25), a figure that falls below the constitutional minimum of 27 constituencies.
House to recall that when Kogi State was created in 1991, the First Kogi State House of Assembly had thirty-two (32) constituencies, but following INEC’s 1998 review, twelve (12) constituencies were suppressed, reducing the number to twenty-five (25). The suppressed constituencies include: Kabba-Bunu II, Ijumu II, Koton Karfe I, Yagba West II, Adavi II, Ife/Ogodu, Igala Ogba, Okura, Enjema, Dekina Town, Olamaboro II and Bassa-Nge/Gbirra constituencies. This under-representation constitutes a grave violation of the constitutional rights of the people of the suppressed areas to effective representation and grassroots democracy.
House to recall that the Government of Kogi State, recognizing this injustice, on October 8, 2014, instituted Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/35/2014 at the Federal High Court, Lokoja, challenging the suppression of six constituencies in Kogi East, and the Court, in its judgment of 24th February 2015, held in favour of Kogi State and specifically ordered INEC to restore the six suppressed constituencies.
House to also recall that Omoluabi Olabode Adeyemi, a youth leader and public affairs activist from Kabba/Bunu LGA, on November 18, 2014 instituted an action at the Federal High Court, Lokoja, challenging the suppression of the Kabba-Bunu II Constituency and contending that the suppression of the said Kabba constituency rendered the Kogi State House of Assembly improperly constituted under Sections 91 and 112 of the Constitution. Though judgment was delivered in 2015, implementation of the court’s orders has since lingered.
Aware that on Wednesday, 19th March 2025, the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria adopted a resolution mandating INEC to restore the suppressed constituencies in Kogi and Delta States and mandated its Committee on Electoral Matters to liaise with INEC to ensure compliance.
Worried that despite these clear constitutional provisions, judicial pronouncements and resolutions of the National Assembly, INEC is yet to implement the restoration of the suppressed constituencies by conducting the mandatory delimitation exercise, thereby depriving the people of Kogi State of their constitutional right to adequate representation for over two decades.
Convinced that the restoration of these constituencies is paramount for equitable development, fair political representation and the strengthening of democratic governance at the grassroots level across all senatorial districts of Kogi State.
Prayers:
THEREFORE, I move that this Honourable House do:
1. RESOLVE to urgently call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, without further delay, commence and conclude the constituency delimitation exercise in Kogi State to restore the 12 suppressed State Constituencies, thereby bringing the total number of constituencies to within the constitutional range of 27-36.
2. URGE the Kogi State Government, through the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, to formally re-engage with INEC, presenting the judgment in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/35/2014 and the recent resolution of the National Assembly as a basis for immediate action.
3. FURTHER URGE the Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo, to directly interface with the Chairman of INEC and the relevant committees of the National Assembly to advocate for and secure the urgent conduct of this delimitation exercise.
4. SPECIFICALLY URGE the INEC to give immediate priority to the restoration of Kabba/Bunu II Constituency, whose suppression has been the subject of litigation, public agitation, and constitutional concern, to ensure fair and adequate representation for the people of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.
5. DIRECT the Clerk of the House to forward clean copies of these resolutions to Chairman of INEC, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation.
Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members, I passionately appeal for your unanimous support.
I so move.
Dated
Hon. Seyi Bello,
Member Representing Kabba/Bunu Constituency.