By  OKEY NDIRIBE

ABUJA — As the 2015 general election draws nearer, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has commenced fresh delineation of constituencies nation-wide. This was disclosed, yesterday, by the Chairman of the Commission Professor Attahiru Jega during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between INEC and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation.

He further stated that the commission had already inaugurated two committees for the purpose of carrying out  the exercise.

His words: ”We have inaugurated the National and Technical Committees and it is these two committees that would take the exercise to the next stage which would be the nitty-gritty work of constituency delimitation”.

He further explained that as part of the preparation for the exercise, the commission had already sensitized key stakeholders that would be involved.

Jega said other stakeholders that have been sensitised  include the National Boundaries Commission, the National Agency for Space Research  and many others.

Throwing more light on the necessity of the exercise, the INEC boss said it was very important for the deepening of the democratic process adding that the exercise was designed to ensure that the people are adequately represented in legislative houses across the country.

According to Jega:”The purpose for this exercise is to ensure that all constituencies across the country are approximately equal in population.  For instance, each federal constituency is supposed to have an approximate population of 388,000.”

He further said that due to the fact that the exercise was carried out for the last time in 1996, some constituencies were presently either over-populated or under-populated.

Said he: “Presently, there are wide disparities in the population of various constituencies. There is a federal constituency with a population of 122,000 while there is also another one with a population of 1.3 million.”

He continued: “These disparities have occurred due to population migration or other factors. We are constitunionally required to review these constituencies to reflect actual weight of the population which determines representation. It is a very important exercise for deepening democracy and ensuring equity.”

He further stated that INEC is expected to carry out the exercise after every census or at least once every 10 years. Said he: “The present constituencies were created in 1996 and since then, they have not been reviewed.”

In his own remarks at the occasion, the Surveyor-General of the Federation, Prof. Peter Nwilo commended the INEC boss for the step he had taken towards realising the goal of constituency delimitation.

Said he: “That the INEC Chairman had thought it necessary to invite all agencies  that have roles to play in this exercise means that the outcome would be a document that would have  full legal backing”.