The Ijaw National Congress has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to complete the process of fresh units and ward delineation in the Warri federal constituency.
Benjamin Okaba, global president, INC, made the appeal in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
His appeal is in response to INEC’s refutal of the suspension of the delineation exercise in the Warri federal constituency. He stated that the exercise should be conducted in strict compliance with the Supreme Court order, adding that any further delay would be unacceptable.
The INC commended INEC for the prompt refutation of the reported suspension of the Warri federal constituency delineation exercise.
Mr Okaba stated, “We insist that continuous voters’ registration cannot be done in a constituency that has no wards, polling units, and registration areas. The INC, therefore, appeals for the immediate completion of the fresh units and ward delineation process by INEC in strict compliance with the Supreme Court order.”
The INC global president also called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the international community to take appropriate actions to forestall further attacks by the Itsekiris on Ijaws and Urhobos.
“To achieve this, the president should immediately prompt INEC to announce the results of their completed job and uphold the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary.
“The National Assembly should invoke its constitutional powers to summon the NSA and the INEC Chairman to explain their decision to continue registering voters in blatant subversion of a Supreme Court order. The International Community should prevail on the Federal Government and INEC to obey the Rule of Law,” he said.
Mr Okaba further urged the Ijaw nation to remain calm but remain resolute in their vigilance.
“The Supreme Court has spoken and clearly so. There are no electoral units and wards in the Warri federal constituency of Delta until the results of the concluded fresh delineation exercise are announced. Let the will of the highest court in the land be done,” said Mr Okaba.
In a statement on Monday, INEC said the proposed delineation had not been suspended and no final decision had been taken on the matter.
INEC also clarified that the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise is proceeding as planned across all the local government areas within the affected constituency. It urged all stakeholders involved in the matter to remain calm and peaceful while the process continues.
“We appeal to all the parties connected to the matter to continue to maintain the peace in the area,” INEC said.
The Supreme Court ordered the delineation of wards in the Warri Federal Constituency on December 2, 2022.
In response, INEC began stakeholder consultations in February 2023 and completed fieldwork by July 2024. A draft delineation report was presented to community leaders during a meeting in Warri on April 4, 2025.
(NAN)
