Practicing lawyers, on Thursday, stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) demanding restoration of suppressed constituencies in Kogi State House of Assembly.
Led by Barr. Ayo Jonathan, the lawyers submitted a petition at the INEC office in Lokoja, citing Section 91, of the Nigeria Constitution which requires the House of Assembly of a state to have 3 or 4 state constituencies in a Federal Constituency
Addressing newsmen after submitting the petition, Barr. Jonathan said some constituencies were suppressed after the state was created, resulting in unequal representation in the Kogi State House of Assembly.
He noted that the State Assembly currently has 25 members, short of the required number stipulated in Sections 91 and 114 of the Constitution.
Jonathan 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, he said the same situation exist in Yagba Federal Constituency and other areas across the state with suppressed constituencies.
The petitioners urged INEC and Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo to address the issue before the next election, warning that the current composition of the state assembly is defective and lacks a legal quorum.
Chairman of Kabba-Bunu local government area, one of the affected LGAs, Barr. Zacchaeus Dare Michael, lamented the suppression of some state constituencies after the creation of Kogi state.
Barr. Zacchaeus, who was at the INEC office in solidarity with the lawyers, called for the restoration of suppressed seats.
“As an interested party whose local government is suppressed, I join in submitting a letter to the INEC.
“Laws are drafted in the spirit of equity, justice and fairness. Section 91 of the nation’s constitution stipulates that a federal Constituency should have 3 or 4 State Constituencies with members in the State Assembly.
”In Idah Federal Constituency, they have four local government areas. The four LGAs are represented with a member each in the State Assembly.
”In Ankpa, they have 3 LGAs and they have met the constitutional provisions of the state lawmakers. In Dekina-Bassa Federal Constituency, they require one more lawmaker to fulfill the provision. In Kogi Central, with five LGAs, they have six Assembly Lawmakers with six other seats suppressed.
“In Kogi West, we have 7 LGAs with 8 members, meaning we have four suppressed seats.
“In 1991, these suppressed constituencies had their members. Kabba had one and two. Ijumu had one and two, Koto had one and two. By the spirit of the Constitution, we demand the restoration of the suppressed seats. We are not talking about creation of new constituencies which would require amending the constitution, we are simply asking for the restoration of what was in existence,” Barr Zacchaeus said.
He urged INEC to return the constituencies that existed at state’s creation that has now been suppressed before 2027 general elections.
“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 Gov. Usman Ahmed Ododo 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,” the LG Chairman added.
