News Post

The House of Representatives at its plenary session on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 unanimously passed a resolution approving the creation of two State constituencies from Ushongo Constituency of Benue State following a request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The approval came barely a week after the Chamber had approved request by INEC to comply with Supreme Court order in the case of INEC Vs. Guma Local Government council, suit No. (SC/195/2016) to create the new constituencies in Guma LGA. 

Moving the motion for the approval during Tuesday’s sitting, Hon. Edward Pwajok also urged the House to direct that the boundaries of Ushongo State constituency be altered by restoring the suppressed Mata and Mbagwa State constituencies respectively. In the new arrangement therefore, Mata State constituency would have six council wards comprising Ikov, Mbagba, Mbagwaza, Mbayegh and Utange while the suppressed Mbagwa has six wards with Atikyese, Lessel, Mbaaka, Mbaanyam, Mbaawe and Mbakuha accordingly.

He stated in his motion that section 113 of the 1999 Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria provides that “the boundaries of each State constituency shall be such that the number of inhabitants thereof is as nearly equal to the population quota as is reasonably practicable.” Also, the lawmaker further informed that section 114 of the 1999 constitution enables INEC to review the division of every State constituency at intervals of not less than ten years and may alter same accordingly.

 

Lending his voice to the argument of the motion as moved by Pwajok, another lawmaker from Benue Hon. Wayo said approval of restoration  of the suppressed constituencies is the fulfillment of his campaign promise to his constituents since 2015. He stated that he had consistently raised a motion on the matter on the floor of the House in a bid to actualize justice for his people.

Also, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Lassun, while commending INEC and the Chamber for doing the needful on this case, urged INEC to address similar issues across the country.

Before putting the question for the prayers of the motion to be approved, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara clarified that the Chamber gave the approval because INEC was seemingly reluctant to comply with an earlier resolution to conduct elections into the restored two state constituencies. He said the House received a petition dated 29, September, 2019 from the Committee on public petitions requesting the National Assembly to compel INEC to restore the two constituencies and conduct elections in same. 

He added that the House recalled that a Federal High Court in Abuja had on 13 January, 2005, in the case of Ushongo Local Government versus INEC, suit no. (FHC/ABJ/CS/562/2004) delivered a consent judgment for INEC to restore the suppressed Mata and Mbagwa state constituencies in Ushongo LGA.