By Yabagi Mohammed
In a constitutional democracy such as the one being practiced in Nigeria, peaceful protests to show disastisfaction with government policies and programmes is allowed. In fact, the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in sections 39 and 40 gives citizens freedom of assembly and association as well as freedom of expression.
However, these provisions are not excuses for people to ‘assemble’ and ‘express’ their ignorance. No one should hide under these parts of the constitution to organize citizens for an aimless protest that is at best, an exercise in futility.
The genesis of the journey to restore the suppressed constituencies in Kogi State began in November 2025 on the floor of Kogi State House of Assembly when the member representing Kabba/Bunu State Constituency, Hon. Seyi Bello raised a motion to that effect.
Now, when laymen hear about motions being raised by lawmakers on the floor of the Assembly, whether at the state or at the National level, they feel they are just standing up to raise such issue on the floor because they are members of the legislature; not knowing the amount of industry, intellectual rigour, research and other legwork that go into that piece of legislation. Some motions take years, some weeks or months for it to be prepared before presentation on the floor of the Assembly.
That motion by Hon. Bello relied on the provisions of Sections 91, 112, 113 and 114 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Section 91 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), for example, provides the outlines for the composition of a State House of Assembly. It stipulates that a House of Assembly SHALL consist of three or four times the number of seats the state has in the House of Representatives.
Given that Kogi State has nine Federal Constituencies, if we multiply four by nine, we’ll have 36. Realising that Ankpa, Dekina and Idah Federal Constituencies all have four state constutuencies each with the restoration of the suppressed constituencies, it is normal for other Federal Constituencies to also be accorded the same opportunity.
It is therefore not out of place for Lokoja/Kogi Kotonkarfe, Yagba, and Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu, Okene/Ogori – Magongo, Adavi/Okehi and Ajaokuta Federal Constituencies to also be given the opportunity to have their fair share of the balancing by making them four as well.
It is not a matter of size, otherwise why would Kano with 44 Local Government Areas have the same number of senators (three) with Bayelsa State which has only eight Local Government Areas?
If any population needs additional state constituencies, the best thing to do is to approach the courts, lobby the existing legislators at both state and national levels as well as writing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the matter. It is not an issue of taking to the streets because answers to why constituencies are suppressed are not within the streets, but within the provisions of the law.
The smart thing would be to engage the services of lawyers to look at the lacuna with a view to amending the provisions of the law for more state constituencies.
Knowing the type of nation we live in, many protests only give birth more protests. A word is enough for the wise.
Others are watching, armed with facts. They too may decide to take to the streets.
– Yabagi Mohammed writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
