Isaac Samuel
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said it is engaging the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) over the protracted issues surrounding the delineation of wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency, Delta State.
The disclosure came as members of the Agbarha Warri Kingdom and Okere Urhobo Kingdom staged a peaceful protest at the Commission’s headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, over delays in implementing a Supreme Court judgment on the matter.
INEC had, on April 4, presented a preliminary report on the delineation of wards and polling units in the constituency to representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities in Asaba, allocating new wards across the three local government areas.
However, the protesters demanded the immediate release of the final delineation report in compliance with the 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
Community leaders at the protest submitted a petition addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan.
Addressing the protesters, INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, assured them that the matter had become a top priority for the Commission, revealing that the Chairman was already consulting with the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, to arrive at a resolution acceptable to all parties.
“Thank you most sincerely for the peaceful approach you have adopted on this issue. On behalf of the Commission, let me assure you that this is on the top of the agenda of the Commission. In fact, the Chairman is already talking with the Office of the National Security Adviser to ensure that these matters are resolved,” Zuru said.
He added that the Commission was committed to ensuring that every eligible community fully participates in future elections and promised that a position would soon be taken.
The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as: “INEC release the true report,” “Urhobos of Warri are majority in Warri South LGA,” “INEC must obey the law,” and “INEC should follow the order of the Supreme Court.”
Leader of the Warri Urhobo delegation, Chief Adehor Westham, said they were at INEC to demand the release of the delineation report, stressing that the Supreme Court had in 2022 ordered the Commission to correct perceived injustices in the ward structure of the constituency.
He noted that although they agreed not to disrupt the 2023 general election following INEC’s appeal that the delineation process was ongoing, the continued delay in releasing the final report was now creating uncertainty ahead of political party ward congresses.
According to him, INEC had earlier visited Warri South and presented a preliminary report which allocated nine wards to Urhobo communities across the Agbarha-Warri and Okere-Urhobo kingdoms, a figure he said did not reflect their population strength.
“If the wards in Warri South are to be 20, the Okere-Urhobo and Agbarha-Warri kingdoms should not get less than 13 or 14 wards. After the preliminary report, they said there was a little problem and the matter was taken to the National Security Adviser. Officials from the Office of the Attorney-General also visited our communities,” he said.
Westham also raised concerns over the February 18 ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC), questioning which ward structure would be used if INEC failed to release the final delineation report.
“Which ward are they going to use? Is it the wards the Supreme Court has nullified? Are they trying to disenfranchise us? If they do not announce it before the congress, we may go to court because you cannot disobey the highest court in the land,” he warned.
Also speaking, Chief Louis Okumagba, a member of the delegation, said INEC had physically visited all communities in Warri South, including Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ijaw areas, during the delineation fieldwork, insisting there should be no hesitation in releasing the final report.
