Kogi East Youths Protest At INEC, Demand Fair Share Of New Wards

Youths from Kogi East Senatorial District, under the aegis of the Coalition of Kogi East Youths Associations, have protested at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja over the ongoing process for the creation of additional electoral wards in Kogi State.

The protesters alleged that Kogi East was being excluded from the exercise and demanded fairness, transparency and equitable representation in the proposed ward creation.

Leader of the delegation, Isaiah Davies Ijele, who spoke in a statement issued in Lokoja, said the protest was aimed at formally expressing the coalition’s concern over what it described as the marginalisation of the senatorial district.

According to him, Kogi East, which he described as the most populous senatorial district in the state with substantial electoral strength, deserved fair consideration in any review or creation of electoral wards.

“We are here to express our anger and dissatisfaction with the deliberate marginalisation of Kogi East in the ongoing addition of wards to regions in the state,” Ijele said.

He appealed to the INEC chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, whom the group described as “our brother, father and uncle,” to ensure that the process was anchored on justice and fairness.

Ijele said demographic considerations should be central to the exercise, citing the 2006 National Population Census as the latest national census available for consideration.

He claimed that Kogi East accounted for approximately 1.3 million of the 3.4 million people recorded in the state during the 2006 census.

He also cited the district’s electoral participation and voting strength, arguing that its population and electoral weight should be reflected in determining equitable political representation.

Another member of the coalition, 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, urged the INEC leadership to maintain the same standard of transparency and credibility in the Kogi ward creation exercise.

“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,” Isah said.

He added that the coalition was proud of the INEC chairman as a Kogi indigene and expected him to uphold fairness and justice in the exercise.

“Kogi East is too large to be marginalised. 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 marginalised,” he declared.

The coalition presented three demands to INEC, including the immediate suspension of any ward creation exercise that excludes Kogi East from equitable consideration.

It also demanded the public disclosure of the criteria, demographic data and constitutional or legal framework guiding the proposed creation of additional wards.

The group further called for a transparent and inclusive review of the exercise, taking into consideration population, voter distribution, geographical realities and other relevant constitutional provisions.

The protesters stressed that their agitation was not aimed at denying other parts of the state their legitimate rights.

Rather, they said their demand was for a transparent, fair and equitable process that would give all parts of Kogi State a sense of belonging.