Members of the Ijaw community from the Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State on Monday staged a protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, demanding the immediate implementation of a Supreme Court-backed delineation report for the area.
The protesters, under the umbrella of Operation Rescue Ijaw Nation Crusaders, warned that failure by INEC to act on the report could threaten the conduct of future elections in the constituency.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the Deputy Coordinator of the group, Freeborn Abraye, said the group was in Abuja to press for compliance with the Supreme Court judgment mandating a fresh ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency.
Abraye noted that the protesters had previously visited INEC over the matter and were assured that the commission would respond positively, but claimed that no concrete action had followed.
According to him, the Supreme Court ordered the electoral commission to conduct a fresh delineation exercise after complaints of political imbalance involving the Ijaw, Urhobo, and Itsekiri ethnic groups in Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West local government areas.
He alleged that the existing political structure had for years favoured the Itsekiri ethnic group at the expense of the Ijaw and Urhobo communities.
“The Supreme Court gave a clear directive to INEC to conduct a fresh delineation exercise, and the commission carried out the process. What we are asking for now is the implementation of that report,” he said.
Abraye argued that the continued delay in implementing the report was creating growing tension in the constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He insisted that the issue was about justice, fairness, and equitable political representation, stressing that the delineation exercise was conducted with the participation of representatives from the three ethnic nationalities in the constituency.
The protest leader further accused INEC of excluding the constituency from recent Continuous Voter Registration exercises, describing the move as an attempt to disenfranchise residents of the area.
He maintained that the Ijaw people had endured years of political marginalisation and warned that the group would resist any further attempt to deny them fair representation.
Abraye warned that if the delineation report was not implemented, elections might not hold in the constituency.
Also speaking during the protest, Ellington Bakumor accused INEC of unnecessarily delaying the release and implementation of the report despite conducting the exercise with the involvement of all affected ethnic groups.
Bakumor said the process was transparent and inclusive, adding that there was no justification for the commission’s refusal to operationalise the outcome.
He alleged that political interests were influencing the delay and cautioned that the situation could undermine peace and stability in the area if not urgently addressed.
In a petition submitted to the commission and signed by the group’s coordinator, Awipi Lawson, the protesters stated that their action was aimed at ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022, in the case of Hon. George Timinimi & Others v. INEC.
The petition noted that the apex court had directed INEC to carry out a fresh and constitutionally compliant delineation of wards and polling units in Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West local government areas.
According to the group, the court also ruled that no election or electoral activity should take place in the constituency until the delineation process was fully completed and implemented.
The petition further stated that although INEC conducted the exercise and produced a field report dated April 4, 2025, the commission had yet to release or gazette the final report.
The protesters therefore called on the electoral commission to immediately release and implement the delineation report and suspend all electoral activities in the constituency pending its full implementation.
Receiving the petition on behalf of the INEC Chairman, Mohammed Ahmad said the commission’s chairman and national commissioners were away on official duties.
He, however, assured the protesters that their petition would be delivered and that the concerns raised would receive appropriate attention from the commission.
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