Lawmakers in the Kogi State House of Assembly have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately restore 12 suppressed state constituencies.
They described the situation as a constitutional breach that has denied thousands of citizens political representation for over two decades.
The call followed a motion sponsored by the member representing Kabba/Bunu Constituency, Seyi Bello, who described the continued suppression of the constituencies as “a grave constitutional injustice” that has deprived several communities of their right to equal representation since 1998.
“Kogi State was created with 32 constituencies. Today, only 25 remain. This is below the Constitutional minimum and a direct breach of Sections 91 and 112 of the 1999 Constitution,” Bello said.
He urged the House to unite in correcting what he described as “an enduring democratic imbalance.”
When Kogi State was created in 1991, it had 32 State constituencies, but following INEC’s 1998 delimitation exercise, 12 were suppressed, reducing the number to 25, far below the Constitutional requirement that mandates each state to have between three and four times its Federal constituencies.
With nine Federal Constituencies, Kogi is constitutionally entitled to between 27 and 36 state constituencies.
The suppressed ones 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.
Legal experts have long argued that the suppression effectively denies representation to entire communities , a violation of the constitutional guarantee of equal participation in governance.
The Assembly recalled that in 2015, the Federal High Court, Lokoja, in Suit No. FHC/LKJ/CS/35/2014, ruled in favour of Kogi State, ordering INEC to restore six suppressed constituencies.
Another case filed by Omoluabi Olabode Adeyemi in the same year also challenged the suppression of Kabba-Bunu II, with the court again siding with the plaintiffs. Yet, INEC did not implement these rulings nearly a decade later.
“Judgments have been given. The law is clear. The National Assembly has passed a resolution. Yet, INEC has remained silent. This is not just administrative delay, it is the continued disenfranchisement of our people,” Bello lamented on the floor.
The push for restoration gained fresh momentum after the House of Representatives, on March 19, 2025, adopted a resolution mandating INEC to restore suppressed constituencies in Kogi and Delta States.
The federal lawmakers also directed their Committee on Electoral Matters to ensure compliance.
This national development provided the legal and political basis for the Kogi Assembly to press INEC to act — especially as Nigeria approaches another election cycle.
The motion urged the Kogi State Government and Attorney-General to re-engage INEC, citing the court judgments and the recent National Assembly resolution.
It also called on Governor Ahmed Ododo to personally interface with INEC Chairma, Prof. Joash Amupitan and the leadership of the National Assembly to fast-track the delimitation exercise.