The Coalition of Kogi East Youths Associations has protested at the National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abuja, over the alleged exclusion of Kogi East from the ongoing process of creating additional political wards across Kogi State.
The group, which staged a peaceful protest, said it was concerned about reports that Kogi East Senatorial District had been excluded from the proposed ward expansion exercise while other senatorial districts in the state were being considered.
In a press statement issued on Thursday and made available to newsmen in Lokoja by the leader of the delegation, Isaiah Davies Ijele, the coalition said the visit was to formally register its dissatisfaction and demand fairness in the process.
Ijele said Kogi East, which he described as the most populous senatorial district in the state and one with significant electoral strength, deserved equitable consideration in any exercise involving the review or creation of additional electoral wards.
“We are here to express our anger and dissatisfaction with the deliberate marginalization of Kogi East in the ongoing addition of wards to regions in the state.
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“We are particularly concerned because our brother, father and uncle, Professor Joash Amupitan, is the Chairman of INEC. We believe that injustice must not take place under his watch,” Ijele said.
The youth leader cited the 2006 National Population Census, which remains Nigeria’s most recent national census, arguing that demographic data should be considered in determining equitable representation.
He said Kogi East accounted for approximately 1.3 million people out of the 3.4 million population recorded for Kogi State in the 2006 census.
Ijele also said the region had consistently recorded significant electoral participation during general elections and should not be overlooked in matters concerning electoral representation.
In the statement, Apostle Gideon Isah commended the INEC Chairman for what he described as the Commission’s credible handling of the recent governorship election in Osun State.
He, however, appealed to the INEC Chairman to ensure that the integrity associated with the Commission’s electoral processes was maintained in Kogi State.
“The INEC Chairman should make sure injustice does not stand under his watch. We applauded him for the last election in Osun State, and he should not allow anything to spoil that record.
“We are proud of him as one of our own from Kogi State, and we expect him to ensure fairness, transparency, and justice in the ward creation process,” Isah said.
Isah stressed that Kogi East was too large and electorally significant to be excluded from consideration.
“Kogi East is too large to be marginalized. Kogi East is too big to be undermined. That is why we are here in our numbers to tell the INEC Chairman and everyone at the Commission that we will not be marginalized,” he declared.
The coalition presented three major demands to INEC.
The demands are immediate suspension of any ward creation exercise that excludes Kogi East from equitable consideration, public disclosure of the criteria, demographic data, and constitutional or legal basis being applied in the proposal and creation of additional wards across Kogi State, a transparent, fair and inclusive review of the ward creation process, taking into consideration population, voter distribution, geographical realities and other relevant constitutional criteria.
The coalition maintained that its demand was not aimed at denying any part of Kogi State its legitimate rights but at ensuring that the process was conducted transparently and equitably.