INEC Vows Action As Urhobo, Ijaw Protest Ward Delineation In Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to enactment connected the grievances of Urhobo and Ijaw communities successful Delta State implicit electoral ward delineation pursuing a peaceful protestation astatine its nationalist office successful Abuja connected Tuesday.

The demonstrators, drawn from Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West Local Government Areas, demanded the contiguous implementation of a Supreme Court judgement delivered connected December 2, 2022, which ordered the delineation of electoral wards and polling units successful the Warri Federal Constituency.

In a petition submitted to INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and signed by 16 representatives, the protesters condemned the ongoing elector registration successful their constituency without the due electoral structures successful place.

“We tin nary longer hold portion our antiauthoritarian rights, guaranteed by the constitution and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court judgment, are being eroded,” the petition read.

The petitioners urged INEC to “immediately merchandise and instrumentality the study painstakingly embarked upon by stakeholders,” informing that they “shall not idly basal by and ticker our antiauthoritarian rights and franchise fretted away.”

While commending INEC for earlier efforts to nutrient projected registration areas and polling units, they accused the committee of unnecessary delays.

“We are afloat abreast with the ineligible attempts and undue influences from assorted quarters to derail oregon truncate the process. It was your resilience and resolved determination that made it imaginable for the projected registration areas/wards and units to beryllium publically presented,” the petition stated.

The protesters further insisted, “We decided to question from Warri Federal Constituency to gully your attraction to our plight and to fto you cognize that we volition not let immoderate institutions oregon outer influences and pressures to let our inalienable rights to beryllium petered away… We volition proceed to inhabit your premises until our cardinal quality rights to ballot and beryllium voted for are restored to us.”

Receiving the petition connected behalf of the commission, INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct.

“I privation to convey you sincerely for this peaceful attack to handling these issues,” helium said. “You person work done your submission, and the radical present person heard what you person said. I volition tender this papers that you person presented to the commission. The committee volition look astatine this and enactment connected it.”

Reaffirming INEC’s committedness to owed process, Zuru added, “There is nary volition whatsoever to disenfranchise anybody from immoderate antiauthoritarian exercise. If we don’t guarantee that each Nigerian participates, past we are failing successful our work — and that we volition not do.”

Speaking for the protesters, Ijaw person David Jere from Warri North lamented INEC’s inaction months aft the delineation process was reportedly concluded.

“Today we person been waiting, and you person commenced the elector registration exercise. For Ijaws and Urhobos, we don’t person wards and units to register. So we came present to archer you to merchandise the last reports of your exercise, truthful that we tin spell and enactment successful the ongoing CVR,” Jere said.

Another protester emphasised the ineligible magnitude of the dispute, “With owed respect, sir, successful the eyes of the law, determination is nary existing ward oregon portion successful Warri Federal Constituency astatine each — by virtuousness of the December 2nd judgement delivered by the Supreme Court.”

Recall that the Supreme Court had directed INEC to redraw wards successful the constituency implicit claims of imbalance and underrepresentation. Following the ruling, INEC began stakeholder consultations successful February 2023 and concluded fieldwork by July 2024. A draught delineation study was presented successful Warri connected April 4, 2025, but the committee aboriginal clarified that nary last determination had been made.

“Contrary to the speculations making the rounds, the committee is yet to instrumentality a last determination connected the delineation of wards successful the Warri Federal Constituency,” INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, said successful a connection dated April 10.

As nationwide elector registration gathers momentum, however, the Urhobo and Ijaw communities argued they hazard being sidelined without the completion of the delineation exercise, a concern they accidental violates some law rights and the Supreme Court judgment.

Prof. Zuru, successful closing, assured the communities that their grievances would beryllium presented to the afloat commission. “We volition get backmost to you,” helium said.

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