Kogi-born political activist, Usman Okai Austin, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure equitable consideration of all parts of the state in the proposed creation and delimitation of electoral wards.
Okai made the call in a statement he personally signed on Saturday, explaining that his earlier concerns were based on information suggesting that requests for ward creation could not be initiated through appeals from affected areas.
He therefore urged stakeholders from other parts of Kogi State to submit their applications and formally present their demands to the commission.
Okai said the recent Assembly restoration process handled by the INEC chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, had influenced his assessment of the commission’s approach to issues affecting the state.
He also referred to the conduct of the recent Osun State election and the commission’s handling of issues involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The activist urged stakeholders across Kogi East, Kogi Central and Kogi West to participate in the ward delimitation process by presenting their requests to INEC.
He said equal consideration of the interests of the different parts of the state was necessary to ensure that the exercise was broadly accepted.
