INEC State Assembly Delimitation: Alleged Conspiracy Against Igala/Bassa Sparks Tension In Kogi
By Queen Madaki
Lokoja – Nigeria News Today | The Bureau News
Tension has continued to trail the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) consultations on the release and restoration of suppressed State Assembly constituencies in Kogi State following allegations of a conspiracy against the Igala/Bassa people.
A participant at the INEC stakeholders’ session, Salifu Oguche Usman Esq., accused some political stakeholders from Kogi Central and Kogi West of allegedly attempting to influence the process in a manner that would disadvantage Kogi East.
Allegations Of Political Conspiracy
In a statement made available to journalists, Salifu alleged that there was an orchestrated move to abandon existing court judgments relating to constituency restoration and instead adopt what he described as an “equality formula” for the allocation of State Assembly seats.
According to him, the proposal allegedly sought to allocate four Assembly seats to each federal constituency across the state.
“There was a conspiracy against Kogi East led by our Ebira brothers who hijacked the first round of the stakeholders session with an intention of endorsing a proposal for departure from the judgment and resort to equality of Senatorial district in such a way as to give each House of Representative constituency four Assembly seats,” he stated.
He claimed that under the proposed arrangement, several constituencies in Kogi Central and Kogi West would gain additional State Assembly seats, while Igala/Bassa communities would allegedly receive only one additional constituency.
Claims Against Kogi Government Officials
The participant further alleged that the Attorney General of Kogi State supervised presentations made during the session and influenced the direction of discussions.
“The conspiracy was perfected by a brief from the Attorney General of Kogi State who was on ground to supervise the presentation by the two legal briefs written on behalf of the Central and West,” Salifu alleged.
He, however, commended some stakeholders from Kogi East for insisting on strict compliance with court judgments and constitutional provisions guiding constituency delineation.
According to him, traditional rulers and representatives from Kogi East argued strongly in favour of restoring suppressed constituencies based on population spread and existing legal decisions.
“The technical session saw the Igala position gain traction with our people being bold and courageous in asking INEC to follow the judgments and restore suppressed constituencies as was the focus of this exercise,” he said.
INEC Yet To Announce Final Position
Salifu disclosed that INEC officials at the meeting promised to receive additional written submissions from stakeholders before making a final decision on the matter.
He called on political leaders and stakeholders from Igala/Bassa areas to unite and defend what he described as their collective political interest.
“There is a grand conspiracy against us, I saw it in full glare yesterday. Our political representatives were summoned to rubber stamp the agenda of our adversaries,” he added.
As of the time of filing this report, neither INEC nor the Kogi State Government had officially responded to the allegations raised at the stakeholders’ session.
The Bureau News reports that discussions around constituency restoration and political representation have continued to generate debate across Kogi State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
