There are 276 council wards in the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benue State . A study by Soluap (soluap.com) indicates that Gboko LGA has 17 being the largest number of council wards in the state while Ohimini and few others have 10.
List of Council Wards in Benue State by Local Government Area
Ado
Ado LGA of Benue State has 10 council wards, there are: 1 Akoge/Ogbilolo 2 Apa 3 Ekile 4 Igumale I 5 Igumale Ii 6 Ijigban 7 Ogege 8 Royongo 9 Ukwonyo 10 Ulayi
Agatu
Agatu LGA of Benue State has 10 council wards, namely: 1 Egba 2 Enungba 3 Obagaji 4 Odugbeho 5 Ogbaulu 6 Ogwule Ogbaulu 7 Ogwule-Kaduna 8 Okokolo 9 Oshigbudu 10 Usha
Apa
Apa LGA of Benue State has 11 council wards as follows: 1 Akpete/Ojantelle 2 Auke 3 Edikwu I 4 Edikwu Ii 5 Igah-Okpaya 6 Igoro 7 Ikobi 8 Oba 9 Ofoke 10 Oiji 11 Ugbokpo
Buruku
Buruku LGA of Benue State has 13 council wards, there are: 1 Binev 2 Etulo 3 Mbaade 4 Mbaakura 5 Mbaapen 6 Mbaatirkyaa 7 Mbaazagee 8 Mbaikyongo/Nyifon 9 Mbaityough 10 Mbakyaan 11 Mbaya 12 Mbayaka 13 Shorov
Gboko
Gboko LGA of Benue State has 17 council wards as follows: 1 Gboko /Central Market 2 Gboko East 3 Gboko North West 4 Gboko South 5 Igyorov 6 Mbaa Varakaa 7 Mbaanku 8 Mbadam 9 Mbadim 10 Mbakper 11 Mbakwen 12 Mbatan 13 Mbatser 14 Mbatyu 15 Ukpekpe 16 Yandev North 17 Yandev South
Guma
Guma LGA of Benue State has 10 council wards: 1 Abinsi 2 Kaambe 3 Mbabai 4 Mbadwem 5 Mbawa 6 Mbayer/Yandev 7 Nyiev 8 Nzorov 9 Saghev 10 Uvir
Gwer East
Gwer East LGA of Benue State has 14 council wards: 1 Akpach’ayi 2 Aliade Town 3 Gbemacha 4 Ikyogbajir 5 Ikyonov 6 Mbabur 7 Mbaiase 8 Mbaikyaan 9 Mbaikyu 10 Mbalom 11 Mbasombo 12 Mbayom 13 Shough 14 Ugee
Gwer West
Gwer West LGA of Benue State has 15 council wards, namely: 1 Avihijime 2 Gaambe – Ushin 3 Gbaange/Tongov 4 Ikyaghev 5 Isambe/Mbasev 6 Ityoughatee/Injaha 7 Mbabuande 8 Mbachohon 9 Mbanyamshi 10 Mbapa 11 Merkyen 12 Sagher/Ukusu 13 Sengev 14 Sengev/Yengev 15 Tijime
Katsina-Ala
Katsina-Ala LGA of Benue State has 12 council wards, there are: 1 Ikurav Tiev I 2 Ikurav Tiev Ii 3 Iwar(Tongov I) 4 Katsina-Ala Town 5 Mbacher 6 Mbajir 7 Mbatula/Mberev 8 Mbayongo 9 Michihe 10 Tiir(Tongov Ii) 11 Utange 12 Yooyo
Konshisha
Konshisha LGA of Benue State has 11 council wards, viz: 1 Ikyurav/Mbatwer 2 Mbagusa/Mbatser 3 Mbaikyase 4 Mbaiwarnyam 5 Mbake 6 Mbanor 7 Mbatsen 8 Mbavoa 9 Mbawar 10 Mbayegh/Mbaikyer 11 Tse-Agberagba
Kwande
Kwande LGA of Benue State has 15 council wards, there are: 1 Adikpo Metropolis 2 Kumakwagh 3 Liev I 4 Liev Ii 5 Mbadura 6 Mbagba/Mbaikyan 7 Mbaikyor 8 Mbaketsa 9 Mbayoo 10 Menev 11 Moon 12 Tondov I 13 Tondov Ii 14 Usar 15 Yaav
Logo
Logo LGA of Benue State has 10 council wards: 1 Mbadyul 2 Mbagber 3 Mbater 4 Mbavuur 5 Mbayam 6 Nenzev 7 Tombo 8 Turan 9 Ukembergya/Iswarev 10 Yonov
Makurdi
Makurdi LGA of Benue State has 11 council wards as follows: 1 Agan 2 Ankpa/Wadata 3 Bar 4 Central/South Mission 5 Clerks/Market 6 Fildi 7 Mbalagh 8 Modern Market 9 North Bank I 10 North Bank Ii 11 Wailomayo
Obi
Obi LGA of Benue State has 12 council wards, there are: 1 Adiko 2 Adum West 3 Ikwokwu 4 Irabi 5 Itogo 6 Obarike 7 Obeko 8 Odiapa 9 Ogore 10 Okpokwu 11 Okwutungbe 12 Orihi
Ogbadibo
Ogbadibo LGA of Benue State has 13 council wards: 1 Ai-Oodo I 2 Ai-Oodo Ii 3 Ai-Oono I 4 Ai-Oono Ii 5 Ai-Oono Iii 6 Ehaje I 7 Ehaje Ii 8 Itabono I 9 Itabono Ii 10 Olachagbaha 11 Orokam I 12 Orokam Ii 13 Orokam Iii
Ohimini
Ohimini LGA of Benue State has 10 council wards: 1 Agadagba 2 Awume Ehaje 3 Awume Icho 4 Ehatokpe 5 Idekpa 6 Ochobo 7 Oglewu Ehaje 8 Oglewu Icho 9 Onyagede Icho (Ogoli) 10 Onyagede-Ehaje (Alle)
Oju
Oju LGA of Benue State has 11 council wards, there are: 1 Adokpa 2 Ainu 3 Ibilla 4 Idelle 5 Iyeche 6 Oboru/Oye 7 Oju 8 Okpokpo 9 Okwudu 10 Owo 11 Ukpa/Ainu Ette
Okpokwu
Okpokwu LGA of Benue State has 12 council wards: 1 Amejo 2 Eke 3 Ichama II 4 Ojigo 5 Ojoga 6 Okonobo 7 Okpaile/Ingle 8 Okpoga Central 9 Okpoga North 10 Okpoga South 11 Okpoga West 12 Ugbokolo
Otukpo
Otukpo LGA of Benue State has 13 council wards, there are: 1 Adoka-Haje 2 Adoka-Icho 3 Allan 4 Entekpa 5 Ewulo 6 Okete 7 Otobi 8 Otukpo Town Central 9 Otukpo Town East 10 Otukpo Town West 11 Ugboju-Ehaje 12 Ugboju-Icho 13 Ugboju-Otahe
Tarka
Tarka LGA of Benue State has 10 council wards as follows: 1 Mbaajir Akaa 2 Mbaayo 3 Mbachaver Ikyondo 4 Mbaigba 5 Mbaikyaa 6 Mbaikyo/Mbayia 7 Mbakwakem 8 Mbanyagber 9 Shitile 10 Tongov
Ukum
Ukum LGA of Benue State has 13 council wards: 1 Aterayange 2 Azendeshi 3 Borikyo 4 Ityuluv 5 Kendev 6 Kundav 7 Lumbuv 8 Mbatian 9 Mbayenge 10 Mbazun 11 Tsaav 12 Ugbaam 13 Uyam
Ushongo
Ushongo LGA of Benue State has 11 council wards, there are: 1 Atikyese 2 Ikyov 3 Lessel 4 Mbaaka 5 Mbaanyam 6 Mbagba 7 Mbagwaza 8 Mbagwe 9 Mbakuha 10 Mbayegh 11 Utange
Vandeikya
Vandeikya LGA of Benue State has 12 council wards, there are: 1 Mbadede 2 Mbagbam 3 Mbagbera 4 Mbajor 5 Mbakaange 6 Mbakyaha 7 Mbanyumangbagh 8 Mbatyough 9 Mbayongo 10 Ningev 11 Tsambe 12 Vandeikya Township
Council Wards
A council ward is the smallest administrative unit within a Local Government Area. It is the primary constituency through which residents elect councilors to represent their interests in the local government council. In Benue State, as in other Nigerian states, each ward is responsible for managing local affairs and participating in the electoral process, ensuring that residents have a say in governance and decision-making.
Wards typically consist of several communities or villages, and the size and population of a ward can vary depending on the LGA. The importance of wards lies in their ability to bring governance closer to the people, allowing for better resource management and more direct representation.
Criteria for Creating Council Wards
The creation of council wards in Nigeria is based on constitutional guidelines that consider population size, geography, and the need for effective representation. The National Population Commission (NPC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are involved in the process of demarcating ward boundaries. Factors that influence ward creation include:
Population: Wards are created based on population density to ensure equal representation. More populous areas may have more wards.
Geographical Size: Large LGAs, especially in rural areas, may have wards created based on the geographical distribution of communities.
Cultural and Ethnic Considerations: In states like Benue, where there is significant ethnic diversity, ward boundaries may be created to ensure that all ethnic groups are fairly represented.
Distribution of Council Wards in Benue State
Benue State has a total of 276 council wards, distributed across the 23 LGAs. The number of wards in each LGA varies depending on the population and size of the LGA. For example, more urbanized and densely populated LGAs, like Makurdi and Gboko, tend to have more wards, while smaller or rural LGAs may have fewer.
The distribution of wards is designed to ensure that all parts of the state are adequately represented in local government councils. Below is a general distribution of some of the largest LGAs by ward count:
Makurdi LGA: One of the largest LGAs in the state, it has multiple wards to accommodate its urban population.
Gboko LGA: With a significant population, Gboko has many wards to represent its communities.
Otukpo LGA: As a major center for the Idoma people, Otukpo also has a higher number of wards.
Benue State
Benue State, located in the North-Central region of Nigeria, is known for its rich agricultural output, which has earned it the title “Food Basket of the Nation.” With a population of over 5 million people, Benue is home to diverse ethnic groups, including the Tiv, Idoma, and Igede. The state capital is Makurdi, and Benue is divided into 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs), which are further subdivided into council wards.
Map of Nigeria showing Benue state
Council wards form the smallest units of administrative governance in Benue State. These wards play a crucial role in grassroots governance, elections, and community development, serving as the foundation for local government representation and decision-making.
