Reps criticise INEC for not creating more constituencies

The House of Representatives has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to comply with the constitution by creating more constituencies in a number of states.

The lawmakers said there were inconsistencies in the number of seats in some state legislatures and House of Representatives in relation to the number of constituencies.

They urged INEC to begin the process of correcting the anomalies by creating additional constituencies.

Creation of additional constituencies, the lawmakers said, would ensure increase in number of seats in the legislatures and House of Representatives.

The lawmakers’ position followed the adoption of a motion by Francis Uduyok (PDP, Akwa Ibom).

Uduyok noted that Section 91 of the 1999 Constitution states that “subject to the provision of this constitution, a House of Assembly of a State shall consist of three or four times the number of seats which the state has in the House of Representatives divided in a way to reflect as far as possible nearly equal population: provided that a House of Assembly of a State shall consist of not less than 24 and not more than 40 members”.

“It is, however, disturbing that people of some states may not be well-represented at the moment going by the requirements of fairness in sections 91, 112 and 114 as in several states, such as Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Imo, Jigawa, Kogi, Ogun, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto.

“The constitutional provisions, which make it mandatory that a House of Assembly shall consist of three or four times the number of seats which the state has in the House of Representatives, is not being complied with,”he said.

The lawmakers, in their resolution, urged other government agencies concerned to ensure the creation of constituencies to comply with the provision.

The motion was referred to the Committee on Electoral matters for further action by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, after it was unanimously adopted in a voice vote.