Kogi Youths Storm INEC Headquarters, Protest Alleged Marginalisation

Kogi East youths have taken their protest against the proposed creation of additional political wards in Kogi State to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

The protesters, under the Coalition of Kogi East Youths Association, accused the electoral commission of sidelining their region in the ongoing ward creation exercise.

They claimed that Kogi East, which they described as the most populated senatorial district in the state and a major contributor to voter turnout, was left out while Kogi West and Kogi Central were included in the proposed expansion.

Naija News reports that the protesters, who gathered in large numbers yesterday, called on the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, who is from Kogi State, to intervene and address what they described as an injustice against the region.

Speaking to journalists and an INEC representative, the leader of the association, Isaiah Davies Ijele, said the group was at the commission to express its displeasure over the alleged marginalization of Kogi East.

“We are here to express our anger and dissatisfaction for our brother, father and uncle, Professor Joash Amupitan, the INEC Chairman, over the deliberate marginalization of Kogi East in the ongoing addition of wards to regions in the state,” Ijele stated.

Ijele relied on figures from the 2006 national census, the latest official census conducted in Nigeria, to argue that Kogi East deserves consideration in the creation of additional wards.

“Since the last census conducted in 2006, there hasn’t been another exercise of it. And Kogi East produced 1.3 million persons out of the 3.4 million produced by the state,” he added.

He also said Kogi East regularly records the highest number of votes during general elections, arguing that the region should therefore be given priority in the ward creation process.

Another member of the group, Apostle Gideon Isah, praised Amupitan for the conduct of the recent governorship election in Osun State, which he described as free and fair.

However, Isah urged the INEC Chairman not to allow political pressure or inducement to influence the ward creation exercise in Kogi State.

“The INEC Chairman should make sure injustice doesn’t stand under his watch. We applauded him for the last election in Osun, he shouldn’t spoil that record.

“He should make sure the good name is upheld, because we’re proud of him as one of our own from Kogi State.

“Kogi East is too large to be marginalized; Kogi East is too big to be undermined; and so we’re here in our numbers to tell the INEC Chairman and everyone in this headquarters that we will not be marginalized,” he added.

The group presented three demands to INEC, including the immediate suspension of any ward creation process that excludes Kogi East.

The youths also demanded that INEC publicly disclose the criteria, data and constitutional provisions used in proposing the new wards across the state.

They further called for a transparent and inclusive review of the exercise, saying Kogi East should receive fair consideration based on population, voter distribution and geographical realities.

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.

“We thank you so much for coming over here to express your anger in a law-abiding manner. The commission has heard you and we promised to convey your message to the Chairman once he arrived,” Okafor stated.