Members of the Igala Youths Council and a coalition of civil society organisations staged a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Abuja over alleged plans to suppress newly created constituencies in Kogi East ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The protesters, who carried placards and chanted solidarity songs, urged the electoral commission to protect all constituencies recently gazetted through delineation exercises conducted in 2024 and 2026.

Addressing journalists during the protest, spokesperson of the group, Onogu Collins, said the demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to what he described as attempts to undermine constitutional provisions on constituency delineation.

“We have come in peace to demand that INEC uphold the constitutional integrity of all newly confirmed state constituencies in Kogi East,” he said.

The group specifically accused the Kogi State Government of attempting to suppress the Enjema State Constituency in Ankpa Local Government Area through a proposed Harmonization Bill.

According to the protesters, the constituency was among eight additional constituencies approved and gazetted by INEC following delineation exercises in the area.

They argued that Kogi East had suffered years of underrepresentation despite its population strength and warned that scrapping the constituencies would negatively affect political inclusion and access to development projects.

One of the protesters said: “Suppressing these constituencies will deny our people fair representation and development.”

Responding on behalf of the commission, INEC National Commissioner, Professor Abdullahi Abduzuru, assured the protesters that the commission would carefully study all issues presented to it.

“We’ll look at all the issues alongside what you have presented, and we’ll come back not only to you, but to Nigerians,” he stated. (The Guardian)