By joshua 
KOGI EAST TO INEC: IMPLEMENT ALL COURT RULINGS ON SUPPRESSED CONSTITUENCIES.
… WARNS AGAINST COMPROMISE
By Abu Micheal
Stakeholders from Kogi East have called for the full implementation of three separate Federal High Court judgments on the restoration of suppressed state constituencies in Kogi State, warning that any compromise could trigger fresh litigations and threaten the state’s peace and coexistence.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, after a stakeholders and constituents’ engagement with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lokoja, Barrister Fred Achor Ademu representing the suppressed constituencies in Kogi East, commended INEC for taking bold steps to operationalize the court rulings.
He said the briefing was aimed at making a case for the suppressed constituencies in Kogi East, stressing that their restoration would strengthen good governance and bring government closer to the grassroots.
According to him, INEC is bound by multiple Federal High Court judgments to restore the affected constituencies, particularly those in Kogi East, based on the first and second rulings delivered in 2014 and 2016 under Suit No. FHC/FKJ/CS/19/2014 and Suit No. FHC/FKJ/CS/23/2016 respectively.
Barrister Ademu explained that the first judgment ordered the restoration of the suppressed Ogugu State Constituency, which was earlier removed by INEC. The second suit was initiated by the state government after it discovered that several state constituencies in Kogi East had been suppressed by the commission. Although the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, INEC failed to implement the decision.
He added that an additional judgment was delivered earlier in 2026 concerning the restoration of other suppressed constituencies, prompting INEC to review the cases and engage stakeholders for input on implementation.
The legal practitioner insisted that Kogi East’s position remains that a valid court judgment of over ten years cannot be ignored. “No amount of opinion can invalidate the position of the law unless it is set aside by a higher court,” he said.
He emphasized that under Section 287 of the Constitution, all institutions, including INEC, are mandated to ensure full compliance and enforcement of court judgments. While acknowledging INEC’s stakeholders’ meeting as a guide for its work, he urged the commission to ensure that every judgment on the suppressed constituencies is implemented without selective enforcement.
“We are not asking for discretion. No individual or authority has the power to vary, dictate, or pick which part of a judgment to enforce,” he stated.
Barrister Ademu also dismissed arguments that a federal constituency cannot have more than four state constituencies. He noted that Section 19, subsections 122 and 123 of the Constitution do not impose such a limit, citing examples of federal constituencies with more than four state constituencies in Nasarawa, Lagos, Oyo, and Bayelsa states.
“Kogi State should not be an exception. Once a court has determined that a constituency was suppressed, INEC is mandated to restore it, even if it was once created. Anything outside this is unacceptable and will only lead to litigations that will not serve the interest of the state,” he warned.
While commending those working to ensure a seamless implementation of the judgments, he assured INEC of Kogi East’s full cooperation in the ongoing delineation process, saying, “This is one case where justice was delayed but never denied. We urge INEC to follow the dictate of the judgment religiously.”