Itsekiri Leaders Reject INEC’s Proposed Delineation in Warri, Cite Legal and Technical Flaws

Itsekiri Leaders Reject INEC’s Proposed Delineation in Warri, Cite Legal and Technical Flaws

Tosan Atie, WarriLeaders of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality have rejected the delineation proposal released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for wards, polling units, state constituencies, and the creation of an additional federal constituency in the Warri area of Delta State.

The position was made public on Wednesday during a world press conference held at Ubeji Community Town Hall in Warri South Local Government Area. The statement was jointly signed by Chief Edward Ekpoko, Chief Robinson Ariyo, Prince Yemi Emiko, Sir A.S. Mene, and Alex Eyengho. The leaders alleged that the exercise was marred by constitutional, legal, and technical irregularities.

While reaffirming support for the Supreme Court judgment that ordered INEC to conduct a fresh delineation in Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North LGAs, the leaders said the implementation process released by INEC was defective and unacceptable.

“The Itsekiri people are not opposed to lawful electoral reforms, democratic inclusion, or constitutional compliance. We fully respect the Supreme Court judgment directing INEC to carry out a fresh delineation in Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North LGAs,” they stated.

“However, we firmly reject the proposed delineation scheme released by INEC because it violates provisions of the 1999 Constitution, breaches the Electoral Act, disregards INEC’s own guidelines, and is based on flawed fieldwork and disputed GIS mapping data,” the leaders added.

They accused INEC of relying on inaccurate data in the report unveiled in Asaba. According to them, independent geographic and cartographic experts who reviewed the data found several anomalies, including polling units allegedly mapped outside legal LGA boundaries, some located in rivers, swamps, and uninhabitable areas, and others placed beyond Delta State into Edo and Ondo states.

The leaders also claimed that a technical review of Warri South-West LGA identified 1,798 registration area polygons, with hundreds reportedly submerged in water, duplicated, or placed outside the LGA. They further alleged that some polygons were wrongly attributed to Ijaw communities, thereby distorting demographic and voter distribution.

They noted that INEC failed to conduct adequate fieldwork in several Itsekiri communities in Warri South LGA such as Ubeji, Omadino, Ifie, Egbokodo, Orugbo, Ode-Itsekiri, McDermott, Ajigba, Inorin, Ugbodede, Usele, Ajatiton, and Ifie Kporo, despite their significant populations.

The leaders argued that the delineation should have been based on the 2023 voter register and election data instead of what they described as “manufactured mapping.” They cited figures showing Warri North had 110,392 registered voters and 192 polling units, while Warri South-West had 187,116 registered voters and 332 polling units during the 2023 elections.

They also faulted the ward structure in the proposal, alleging that some wards in Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South, were created with as few as seven polling units, while larger communities with more polling units, such as Orere and Ugborodo, were placed in single wards. The creation of wards named Bolou-Ama and Ewein in Warri South was also rejected, with the leaders stating that the settlements are not indigenous.

The Itsekiri leaders condemned what they described as sustained media attacks by some Ijaw and Urhobo groups against President Bola Tinubu and the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. They accused certain Ijaw groups, particularly from Gbaramatu Kingdom, of sponsoring inflammatory campaigns over the delineation issue.

“We condemn any threats to peace, public infrastructure, and regional stability. All parties must respect the rule of law and avoid rhetoric that can cause tension in the Niger Delta,” they said.

However, the leaders expressed support for the creation of additional state constituencies in Warri North and Warri South-West, and the proposed additional federal constituency in Warri Federal Constituency, provided the process complies fully with constitutional and legal requirements.

They called on the Federal Government to investigate the conduct of the exercise and urged INEC to suspend reliance on the disputed fieldwork and GIS data pending independent technical verification.

To resolve the issue, they proposed expanding the six Itsekiri wards and four Ijaw wards in Warri North and Warri South-West to 12 Itsekiri wards and eight Ijaw wards in each LGA, based on the 2023 voter register, which they described as a fair and equitable solution.

The leaders urged security agencies to closely monitor the process to ensure transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to constitutional provisions.