Kogi citizens, alongside a team of legal practitioners, have expressed optimism that the injustice and imbalance existing in the State House of Assembly will be corrected before the 2027 House of Assembly election.
The citizens and legal practitioners made the appeal when it submitted a petition to INEC headquarters in Abuja today over what it term as suppressed constituencies in Kogi State.
The petition was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan SAN.
Kogi citizens demanded urgent restoration of the suppressed Constituencies that existed at the State House of Assembly at the creation of the State in 1991.
The petition submitted by Barr. Zacchaeus Dare Michael, Chairman of Kabba Bunu LGA, one of the affected Local Government Areas, alongside Barr. Ayo Kunle Jonathan, on behalf of the team of legal practitioners, appealed to INEC to correct the marginalization.
In his words, Barr. Dare said: “laws are meant to be fair and just. He lamented that some constituencies have for too long being suppressed for no just cause”.
They appealed to the Commission to address the issues of suppressed constituencies in the State before the 2027 House of Assembly Elections.
The petitioners cited examples of federal constituencies with inadequate representation, called for the restoration of the suppressed seats across the State with the West and Central mostly affected.
Barr Dare said the that the Constitution mandates INEC to create constituencies, citing Section 91, which requires the House of Assembly of a state to have 3 or 4 State constituencies in a Federal Constituency.
He noted that some constituencies were suppressed after the state was created, resulting in unequal representation in the Kogi State House of Assembly.
The Assembly he said currently has 25 Members, short of the required number stipulated in Sections 91 and 114 of the Constitution.
He highlighted that Ajaokuta Federal Constituency has only one Assembly Member, whereas Kabba Bunu State Constituency used to have Kabba 1 and 2, Ijumu 1 and 2. Similarly the same situation he said exist in Yagba Federal Constituency and other areas with suppressed Constituencies.
The petitioners urged INEC to address the issue before the next election, warning that the current composition of the state assembly is defective and lacks a legal quorum.
“The implications of what obtains now in the Kogi State House of Assembly is that the House is wrongly constituted. They are not forming the legal quorum. If the law says 3, the members will be 27 and if four, it will be 36. Thus far, the quorum in the assembly is defective in the eyes of law. We are urging INEC to restore the suppressed Constituencies. We are urging INEC to listen to the cry of those suppressed voices to enable us have our representative in the spirit of the Law. The law didn’t look at population, it is more concerned about equality, fairness and Justice”, Barr. Dare said.
Chief Fagbemi Akinola Benjamin, the Chief of Staff to INEC Chairman who received the petition on behalf of the Commission Chairman, assured that the Commission will look into the petition.
He commended the zeal and manner in which the people have chosen to channel their grievance, assured that the commission will expedite their demands and look at the merit therin
