The Osun State House of Assembly has demanded that more constituencies be created from state constituencies having more than one local government.
This is as the Assembly lamented that it has been shortchanged with the number of constituency seats allocated to it.
This was raised as a matter of Personal Explanation by Abiola Ibrahim, the lawmaker representing Irewole/Isokan State Constituency in the Assembly, during the plenary on Monday.
Ibrahim said the shortchanging came about due to the provisions of Section 91 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
This creation of more state constituencies, Ibrahim hinted, will not only increase representation and ease governance, but also bring governance closer to the people.
He said, “Subject to the provisions of the Nigerian 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…”
Ibrahim subsequently advanced that based on that, “Osun State with nine federal constituencies is entitled to between 27 or 36 State Assembly Constituencies.”
Member representing Boripe/Boluwaduro Constituency, Simeon Popoola, in his submission, disclosed that he had earlier raised the matter in the 6th and 7th Assembly with no result in sight.
Popoola urged that the matter be given the necessary attention it deserved.
With members representing Ede North, Ifelodun and Atakumosa East and West State Constituencies aligning with the view, the motion was moved and seconded.
The motion held that the splitting of four State Constituencies of Osun State be forwarded to the National Assembly and its Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution.
