Benue State comprises 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 276 council wards. 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.
The following is a list of all thecouncilwards in Benue State and their LGAs.
LGA
COUNCIL WARD
ADO
AKOGE/OGBILOLO
APA
EKILE
IGUMALE I
IGUMALE II
IJIGBAN
OGEGE
ROYONGO
UKWONYO
ULAYI
AGATU
EGBA
ENUNGBA
OBAGAJI
ODUGBEHO
OGBAULU
OGWULE OGBAULU
OGWULE-KADUNA
OKOKOLO
OSHIGBUDU
USHA
APA
AKPETE/OJANTELLE
AUKE
EDIKWU I
EDIKWU II
IGAH-OKPAYA
IGORO
IKOBI
OBA
OFOKE
OIJI
UGBOKPO
BURUKU
BINEV
ETULO
MBAADE
MBAAKURA
MBAAPEN
MBAATIRKYAA
MBAAZAGEE
MBAIKYONGO/NYIFON
MBAITYOUGH
MBAKYAAN
MBAYA
MBAYAKA
SHOROV
GBOKO
GBOKO /CENTRAL MARKET
GBOKO EAST
GBOKO NORTH WEST
GBOKO SOUTH
IGYOROV
MBAA VARAKAA
MBAANKU
MBADAM
MBADIM
MBAKPER
MBAKWEN
MBATAN
MBATSER
MBATYU
UKPEKPE
YANDEV NORTH
YANDEV SOUTH
GUMA
ABINSI
KAAMBE
MBABAI
MBADWEM
MBAWA
MBAYER/YANDEV
NYIEV
NZOROV
SAGHEV
UVIR
GWER EAST
AKPACH’AYI
ALIADE TOWN
GBEMACHA
IKYOGBAJIR
IKYONOV
MBABUR
MBAIASE
MBAIKYAAN
MBAIKYU
MBALOM
MBASOMBO
MBAYOM
SHOUGH
UGEE
GWER WEST
AVIHIJIME
GAAMBE – USHIN
GBAANGE/TONGOV
IKYAGHEV
ISAMBE/MBASEV
ITYOUGHATEE/INJAHA
MBABUANDE
MBACHOHON
MBANYAMSHI
MBAPA
MERKYEN
SAGHER/UKUSU
SENGEV
SENGEV/YENGEV
TIJIME
KATSINA-ALA
IKURAV TIEV I
IKURAV TIEV II
IWAR(TONGOV I)
KATSINA-ALA TOWN
MBACHER
MBAJIR
MBATULA/MBEREV
MBAYONGO
MICHIHE
TIIR(TONGOV II)
UTANGE
YOOYO
KONSHISHA
IKYURAV/MBATWER
MBAGUSA/MBATSER
MBAIKYASE
MBAIWARNYAM
MBAKE
MBANOR
MBATSEN
MBAVOA
MBAWAR
MBAYEGH/MBAIKYER
TSE-AGBERAGBA
KWANDE
ADIKPO METROPOLIS
KUMAKWAGH
LIEV I
LIEV II
MBADURA
MBAGBA/MBAIKYAN
MBAIKYOR
MBAKETSA
MBAYOO
MENEV
MOON
TONDOV I
TONDOV II
USAR
YAAV
LOGO
MBADYUL
MBAGBER
MBATER
MBAVUUR
MBAYAM
NENZEV
TOMBO
TURAN
UKEMBERGYA/ISWAREV
YONOV
MAKURDI
AGAN
ANKPA/WADATA
BAR
CENTRAL/SOUTH MISSION
CLERKS/MARKET
FILDI
MBALAGH
MODERN MARKET
NORTH BANK I
NORTH BANK II
WAILOMAYO
OBI
ADIKO
ADUM WEST
IKWOKWU
IRABI
ITOGO
OBARIKE
OBEKO
ODIAPA
OGORE
OKPOKWU
OKWUTUNGBE
ORIHI
OGBADIBO
AI-OODO I
AI-OODO II
AI-OONO I
AI-OONO II
AI-OONO III
EHAJE I
EHAJE II
ITABONO I
ITABONO II
OLACHAGBAHA
OROKAM I
OROKAM II
OROKAM III
OHIMINI
AGADAGBA
AWUME EHAJE
AWUME ICHO
EHATOKPE
IDEKPA
OCHOBO
OGLEWU EHAJE
OGLEWU ICHO
ONYAGEDE ICHO (OGOLI)
ONYAGEDE-EHAJE (ALLE)
OJU
ADOKPA
AINU
IBILLA
IDELLE
IYECHE
OBORU/OYE
OJU
OKPOKPO
OKWUDU
OWO
UKPA/AINU ETTE
OKPOKWU
AMEJO
EKE
ICHAMA II
OJIGO
OJOGA
OKONOBO
OKPAILE/INGLE
OKPOGA CENTRAL
OKPOGA NORTH
OKPOGA SOUTH
OKPOGA WEST
UGBOKOLO
OTUKPO
ADOKA-HAJE
ADOKA-ICHO
ALLAN
ENTEKPA
EWULO
OKETE
OTOBI
OTUKPO TOWN CENTRAL
OTUKPO TOWN EAST
OTUKPO TOWN WEST
UGBOJU-EHAJE
UGBOJU-ICHO
UGBOJU-OTAHE
TARKA
MBAAJIR AKAA
MBAAYO
MBACHAVER IKYONDO
MBAIGBA
MBAIKYAA
MBAIKYO/MBAYIA
MBAKWAKEM
MBANYAGBER
SHITILE
TONGOV
UKUM
ATERAYANGE
AZENDESHI
BORIKYO
ITYULUV
KENDEV
KUNDAV
LUMBUV
MBATIAN
MBAYENGE
MBAZUN
TSAAV
UGBAAM
UYAM
USHONGO
ATIKYESE
IKYOV
LESSEL
MBAAKA
MBAANYAM
MBAGBA
MBAGWAZA
MBAGWE
MBAKUHA
MBAYEGH
UTANGE
VANDEIKYA
MBADEDE
MBAGBAM
MBAGBERA
MBAJOR
MBAKAANGE
MBAKYAHA
MBANYUMANGBAGH
MBATYOUGH
MBAYONGO
NINGEV
TSAMBE
VANDEIKYA TOWNSHIP
Largest Local Government Areas by Number of Wards
Some of the largest LGAs in Benue State in terms of the number of wards include:
Makurdi: Being the state capital and an urban center, it has a high number of wards.
Gboko: Another densely populated LGA, Gboko is known for its large number of wards that ensure proper representation of the Tiv people.
Otukpo: As the headquarters of the Idoma people, Otukpo also has a significant number of wards to manage local governance.
These LGAs, due to their size and population, have a larger share of the 276 wards in the state.
Food Basket monument in Makurdi
Smallest Local Government Areas by Number of Wards
Some of the smaller LGAs in Benue State with fewer wards include:
Tarka LGA: A smaller LGA in terms of both geography and population, Tarka has fewer wards compared to the larger LGAs.
Oju LGA: Oju is more rural and less densely populated, resulting in fewer council wards.
Significance of Council Wards in Governance
Council wards are essential to the governance structure in Benue State, as they serve as the most direct link between the people and the local government. Wards are not only constituencies for local elections but also play a crucial role in community representation and governance. Each ward elects a councilor who represents the interests of the ward in the Local Government Council, ensuring that local issues such as infrastructure, healthcare, education, and security are addressed.
In addition to local governance, wards serve as the foundational units during state and federal elections, where electoral processes are organized at the ward level, ensuring that every community has a voice in the political landscape of the state.
Local Government System
Nigeria operates under a three-tier system of government, consisting of the federal, state, and local governments. The local government tier is the most grassroots-oriented, tasked with addressing the specific needs of smaller communities and ensuring that governance reaches every corner of the nation. Each LGA is further divided into council wards, which serve as the administrative constituencies for local elections.
In Benue State, this system allows for localized governance, where decisions are made at the community level. Council wards ensure that the population is adequately represented in local government councils, and each ward elects a councilor responsible for addressing the needs of their constituency.
