Abuja: A group of constituents from the Itsekiri community in Delta, known as the Warri Reclamation Trust, has called on INEC to discard its report on the proposed delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency, which was presented to stakeholders on April 4.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the group’s Convener, Mrs. Tsaye Mene, presented a petition to INEC at the commission’s headquarters, describing the document as fraudulent and arguing that it should not be allowed to proceed. Mene urged INEC to conduct a thorough review of the matter, in line with the Supreme Court judgment, before implementing any delineation in the constituency.
Mene explained that the group had thoroughly analyzed the document and discovered distortions concerning the units and wards proposed for the federal constituency by INEC. She pointed out that communities from Edo and Ondo states were incorrectly incorporated into Warri North to create additional wards for the Ijaws. Mene also alleged that communities from other local government areas, such as Ughelli South, Udu, and Burutu, were mistakenly added to Warri South-West Local Government Area to create more wards for the Ijaws. Additionally, she claimed that fictitious communities were created, and some Itsekiri communities were renamed with Ijaw names to favor the Ijaws.
Mr. Bright Omaghomi, the Co-Convener of the group, stated that the evidence from the report indicated a lack of diligence by INEC, warranting the rejection of the report in its entirety. Omaghomi noted that the document inaccurately claimed the Ijaws had a larger population than the Itsekiris, contrary to the 2006 population census report. He emphasized that INEC lacked the authority to create constituencies, rename communities, or allocate Itsekiri properties to the Ijaws.
Omaghomi demanded that if INEC proceeds with delineation, it should adhere to legal guidelines and follow court rulings regarding land ownership in the Warri federal constituency. He also urged the commission to investigate and prosecute any staff involved in the exercise, alleging that the Resident Electoral Commission in the state was biased due to Ijaw ethnicity.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that protesters displayed placards with messages such as ‘Address our petition before final delineation report, in line with supreme court judgment’ and ‘Discard the fraudulent proposed ward delineation document in Warri federal constituency.’ Other placards emphasized that Edo and Ondo states, Udu, Ughelli South, Burutu, and Bomadi LGAs are not part of the Warri federal constituency and should be removed from the delineation report.
Abdullahi Zuru, an INEC National Commissioner, received the petition and praised the peaceful conduct of the protesters. Zuru assured them that the commission would review the evidence of alleged errors and collaborate with relevant authorities to address the concerns raised in the petition submitted by the group on June 5. He also encouraged the group to provide any additional evidence for consideration, assuring them of future communication from the commission.