Residents and stakeholders in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State have renewed calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to restore the suppressed Ughelli South II State Constituency, more than 10 years after court judgments reportedly ordered its reinstatement.
The agitation followed INEC’s recent restoration of 22 suppressed state constituencies across the country, including six in Delta State.
The restored constituencies in Delta are Aniocha North II, Ika North East II, Sapele II, Ethiope West II, Warri South-West II and Warri North II.
But Ughelli South II was missing from the list, leaving residents worried that a constituency they say was won back in court has continued to exist only on paper.
Stakeholders in the area are asking why INEC could implement recent court judgments in 2026, but has allegedly failed to act on judgments concerning Ughelli South delivered since 2014 and affirmed in 2015.
“Ughelli South did not lose its constituency in court. What is missing is implementation,” a concerned resident said.
Before 1999, Ughelli South had two constituencies in the Delta State House of Assembly, known as Ughelli South I and Ughelli South II. The arrangement, according to community accounts, allowed communities in the area to enjoy closer representation and better legislative attention.
However, during a constituency delimitation exercise in 1999, INEC merged the two seats into one, a decision critics have continued to describe as unlawful and unfair to the people.
Historical records show that Ughelli South had two constituencies during the First, Second and Third Republics. In the First Republic, Chief Patrick K. Tabiowo represented Ughelli South I and later became the first Speaker of the Midwestern House of Assembly, while another lawmaker represented the Ewu/Olomu axis.
During the Second Republic, Sir Harrison Jefia represented Ughelli South I, while Chief Sylvanus Omaruaye represented Ughelli South II. In the Third Republic, Hon. Wilson Jighwu represented Ughelli South I, while Hon. George Dogood Mokpo represented Ughelli South II.
The dual representation ended at the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999, when the area was reduced to one constituency.
In 2014, Chief Godwin Enasito and others dragged INEC before the Federal High Court in Warri, seeking the restoration of the suppressed constituency.
On October 31, 2014, the court reportedly ruled that INEC had no legal authority to suppress the constituency and ordered the commission to restore it immediately and conduct a by-election.
The Court of Appeal in Benin, on May 28, 2015, also affirmed the judgment and dismissed INEC’s appeal. The matter was said to have later reached the Supreme Court, where the earlier decisions were upheld.
Despite the legal victories, the constituency has not been restored.
For many residents, the issue is no longer just about politics, but about fairness, development and the right of communities to be properly represented in government.
They said the absence of a second lawmaker has weakened the voice of several communities in the state legislature and slowed attention to local needs, including roads, schools, healthcare and other basic infrastructure.
“With one lawmaker representing a large and growing local government, many communities are left struggling for attention,” another stakeholder said.
The latest restoration of other suppressed constituencies has now reopened old wounds in Ughelli South, where residents say INEC’s silence has become difficult to explain.
They argued that selective compliance with court judgments could weaken public confidence in the electoral process and raise questions about fairness before the law.
The residents appealed to INEC to revisit the Ughelli South case and fully comply with all subsisting court judgments by restoring and delineating the suppressed constituency.
They insisted that democracy cannot be said to be expanding while a constituency already affirmed by the courts remains excluded from representation.