The Independent National Electoral Commission has concluded arrangement to review the existing constituencies, allocation of seats, and identify imbalances where they exist.
If this succeeds, some states may experience an increase in representation in the National Assembly.
A committee saddled with the responsibility was inaugurated on Monday in Abuja while the final work of the committee would be subjected to approval by the National Assembly.
The 17-member National Committee on Constituency Delimitation is headed by INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, while Mr. Mr. Kayode Oladimeji, is the Secretary.
Jega inaugurated the committee on Monday.
The review of the constituencies is coming 18 years after the last exercise carried out in 1996. Currently, the country has 388 constituencies and the law provides for every 10 years review.
The committee according to Jega is to consider the composition and boundaries of existing constituencies, as well as allocation of seats, and identify imbalances where they exist.”
Jega had recently said that the exercise would help deal with the existing inequalities in the constituencies. He stressed that it would bring about equity in the weight of representations and votes in the constituencies.
He said, “Ideally, the weight of representation should be as nearly equal as possible. For every representative should be as nearly equal the number of the population quota.
“Every federal constituency should be as nearly equal in size of 388,000. That ensures that the weight of a representative in the parliament is as nearly equal with other representatives.
“In Nigeria there are wide-ranging disparities. There are constituencies that are as small as 122,000 and as large as 1.3million.
“This disparities have existed because of population movement or original inequalities in the creation of constituencies.
“We are obligated by the constitution to periodically review these constituencies so that we can bring equity in the weight of representations and votes in the constituencies.
“It is very important in deepening democracy and fairness in representations.
“We are required to do it either after every population census or in at least 10 years.
“In the kind of democratic system that we operate, where constituencies are based on single-member representatives, it is necessary, as provided by the constitution, and in line with international best practice, that the various districts and constituencies should be reviewed periodically.”
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