By Henry Akubuiro
Former Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly, Goodluck Opiah, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to increase the state’s Assembly constituencies from 27 to either 30 or 40, arguing that the current number does not meet the constitutional requirement linking state constituencies to federal constituencies.
Opiah, a former Minister of State for Education and member of the House of Representatives, urged INEC to review the number and boundaries of the constituencies, contending that Imo’s 10 federal constituencies should translate into either 30 or 40 state constituencies under Section 112 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The request was contained in a letter dated October 14, 2026, addressed to the INEC chairman in Abuja by his solicitors, Lex Fontis Legal Practitioners.
Signed by Emmanuel Opiah on behalf of the firm, the petition cited Sections 91, 112, 113, 114 and 115 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which govern the composition of state Houses of Assembly, constituency delineation, and the procedure for altering boundaries.
The lawyers argued that Section 112 provides for state constituencies numbering three or four times the federal constituencies, subject to Sections 91 and 113. They, therefore, contended that the existing 27 constituencies fall below the constitutional minimum applicable to the state.
The petition also drew attention to Section 113 on population balance in drawing constituency boundaries and Section 114(1), which provides for reviews at intervals of not less than 10 years.
The solicitors maintained that the existing arrangement had not undergone a comprehensive review since 1999 and urged INEC to establish whether it complied with constitutional requirements.
They asked the commission to assess the 27 constituencies, determine the appropriate number and boundaries, and initiate the administrative and legal steps necessary to address any discrepancy.
Under Section 115, alterations to state constituency boundaries take effect after approval by the National Assembly and after the current life of the affected House of Assembly.
The lawyers requested that INEC communicate its position within 30 days, stating that Opiah preferred a resolution through constitutional and administrative processes without recourse to litigation.
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