The Kogi State House of Assembly urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately restore the 12 suppressed state constituencies, citing clear constitutional provisions supported by court judgments and a recent resolution of the National Assembly.
The call was sequel to a motion by Hon. Seyi Bello, member representing Kabba/Bunu State Constituency, who maintained that Sections 112, 114 and the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution impose on INEC the responsibility to carry out constituency delimitation with consideration for equitable population representation. He also cited Section 91, as stipulating that every state shall have a number of members in its State Assembly at least three times the number of its federal constituencies.
“With nine federal constituencies, Kogi State should constitutionally have between 27 and 36 State Assembly seats,” he said, noting that the current 25-seat structure falls short of the minimum requirement.
Hon. Bello recalled that the state originally had 32 constituencies at its creation in 1991 but a 1998 INEC review suppressed 12 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. He described the action as a violation of the constitutional rights of affected communities.
He mentioned two court judgments arguing for restoration: a 2015 Federal High Court judgment ordering INEC to restore the six constituencies in Kogi East, and another case filed by Omoluabi Olabode Adeyemi seeking the reinstatement of Kabba-Bunu II. He said a resolution of the House of Representatives, dated March 19, 2025, also ordered INEC to reinstate suppressed constituencies in Kogi and Delta States.
The move was supported by lawmakers from across the state, citing demographic changes, constitutional imbalance, and historical records that show that several areas, including Adavi/Okehi, Koton Karfe, and Olamaboro, had multiple constituencies and more than one assembly representative.
Speaker Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf hailed the detailed presentation, instructing the Clerk to compile backing documents which include the 1992 Assembly register and certified court judgments. The materials are to accompany the Assembly’s resolution to the INEC Chairman, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
