Warri Federal Constituency: Ijaw, Urhobo protest, demand immediate implementation of INEC delineation report

Ijaw and Urhobo protesters in Warri Federal Constituency staged a peaceful demonstration Monday, warning that delays by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in implementing a Supreme Court-ordered delineation are threatening democracy and the rule of law.

While reading the statement, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, a focal person representing the Ijaws said, INEC presented its final report on the fresh delineation of wards and constituencies on May 20, 2026 in Asaba. At that event, National Commissioner Alhaji Abdulrazaq Tukur Yusuf, representing INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the report was approved for “immediate implementation” due to time constraints ahead of the 2027 elections.

Ten days after the presentation, the Ijaw and Urhobo communities say INEC has not started implementation. With the deadline for parties to submit candidates for 2027 fast approaching, they claim the delay is “shocking” and dangerous.

The protesters allege the hold-up stems from “external interference by the Presidency,” which they say ordered INEC to pause implementation. They described it as a direct attack on Section 161 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees INEC’s independence, and Section 287(2), which mandates compliance with Supreme Court judgments without delay.

“The Presidency has no constitutional powers to stop implementation of SC/413/2016: Hon. George U. Timinimi & Ors v. INEC,” the statement read. “This interference is an attack on the rule of law and democracy in Warri and in Nigeria.”

The groups also rejected claims by the Office of the National Security Adviser that implementation poses a security threat. They called it a “subterfuge” to alter the final report in favor of the Itsekiri ethnic group.

They noted concessions already made to Itsekiri communities: ward allocations increased from 4 to 7 in Warri South West and 8 to 10 in Warri North, “despite population figures not justifying the increment.”

The statement referenced the 1997-2003 Warri crisis, which they said was triggered by relocating a local government headquarters from an Ijaw to an Itsekiri community. “We must avoid a repeat of the past. A word is enough for the wise,” the protesters warned.
 

“INEC must conduct all future electoral activities in Warri Federal Constituency based only on the final delineation presented,” they concluded.

The statement was jointly signed by the Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri Federal Constituency.