By Ayodele Oni
The Coalition of Kogi East Youths Association has kicked against exclusion of Kogi East from the proposed creation of additional political wards in Kogi State.
Members of the association protested at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja over the planned creatiin of additional wards, in the two senatorial districts, excluding Kogi East.
The protesters accused the electoral commission of marginalising the senatorial district in the ongoing exercise, alleging that Kogi West and Kogi Central were included in the proposed ward expansion, while Kogi East was left out.
The youths, who gathered at the INEC headquarters, called on the commission’s Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, who is from Kogi State, to intervene and address what they described as an unfair treatment of the region.
Addressing journalists and an INEC representative, the leader of the association, Isaiah Davies Ijele, said the group was protesting what it described as the deliberate exclusion of Kogi East from the proposed ward creation process.
Ijele cited figures from Nigeria’s 2006 national census, the country’s most recent official census, arguing that Kogi East’s population justified its inclusion in any consideration for additional political wards.
He claimed that Kogi East accounted for about 1.3 million of the state’s 3.4 million people based on the 2006 census figures.
The youth leader also argued that Kogi East has consistently recorded significant voter participation during general elections, saying the region should be fairly considered in the ward creation process.
Another member of the group, Apostle Gideon Isah, commended Amupitan over the conduct of the recent governorship election in Osun State, which he described as free and fair.
However, Isah urged the INEC Chairman to ensure that political pressure or inducement did not influence the proposed ward creation exercise in Kogi State.
He maintained that Kogi East was too large to be overlooked and urged the commission to uphold transparency and fairness in the process.
The protesters presented three major demands to INEC, including the immediate suspension of any ward creation process that excludes Kogi East.
They also demanded that the electoral commission publicly disclose the criteria, data and constitutional provisions guiding the proposed creation of new wards across the state.
In addition, the group called for a transparent and inclusive review of the exercise, insisting that population, voter distribution and geographical considerations should be taken into account.
Receiving the protesters on behalf of the INEC Chairman, the commission’s Director of Security, Indidi Okafor, acknowledged their concerns and commended them for expressing their grievances peacefully.
Okafor assured the protesters that their message would be conveyed to the INEC Chairman when he arrived, saying the commission had taken note of their demands.
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