The commission says the restoration follows court judgments, with party primaries fixed for August 21 to 25.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has restored four previously suppressed state Houses of Assembly constituencies in Delta and Kogi states, following court judgments directing their reinstatement.
In a statement issued on Friday, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, said the restored constituencies are Abraka, Isoko North II, and Ughelli South II in Delta State, and Yagba West II in Kogi State.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission wishes to notify the public that it has restored four more previously suppressed State House of Assembly constituencies, three more in Delta and one more in Kogi states, pursuant to the judgement of the courts directing the restoration of the additional constituencies in the two states,” the statement read, indicating this forms part of an earlier, wider restoration exercise.
Why the constituencies were suppressed in the first place
Before 1996, Delta State’s Isoko North and Ughelli South local government areas each had two separate voices in the state House of Assembly, designated Constituency I and Constituency II. In 1999, following a national delimitation exercise, INEC merged the paired constituencies in several areas, reducing double representation to single seats.
Isoko North II and Ughelli South II were among the constituencies suppressed in that exercise, along with Abraka in Ethiope East local government area and Yagba West II in Kogi State.
INEC began implementing the Federal High Court judgment restoring Abraka, Isoko North II and Ughelli South II on 1 August, holding a stakeholders’ meeting at its state office in Asaba, attended by local government officials including Isoko North Local Government Chairman Prince Godwin Ogorugba, to discuss implementation of the ruling.
Primaries and election timelines for the restored seats
Haruna said the commission has fixed 21 to 25 August 2026 for political parties to conduct primaries for candidates seeking to contest the restored constituencies. He said the exercise would coincide with primaries already scheduled for a separate set of legislative by-elections.
“This coincides with the period for the conduct of primaries for bye-elections to fill recent vacancies into Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye federal constituency of Gombe state, Disina and Sakwa state constituencies of Bauchi state, Udu state constituency of Delta state, and Dawakin Kudu state constituency of Kano state. Elections into these constituencies have been fixed for 19th September, 2026,” the statement read.
Haruna said the timelines and activities contained in INEC’s already published revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election would apply to the restored constituencies.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all other timelines and activities contained in the already published revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 general election shall apply to the restored Constituencies,” the statement added.
He said political parties should submit notices of their primaries to the commission before the scheduled dates.
