By Francis Sadhere, Warri
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dealt another major setback to opposition against the fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency, dismissing an appeal challenging the exercise and affirming a N4 million cost awarded against the appellants.
The ruling has effectively cleared the way for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue implementing the Supreme Court judgment ordering a fresh delineation of wards and polling units in the politically sensitive Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State.
The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1457/2025: Hon. Appearance Afejuku & Ors v. INEC & Ors, was filed by Itsekiri youth leader, Appearance Afejuku, and three others seeking to halt the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022.
Delivering judgment on Friday, May 15, 2026, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and upheld the N4 million cost earlier awarded by the Federal High Court.
The appellate court held that the issue of Warri delineation had already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court in suit number SC/413/2016: Hon. George U. Timinimi & 9 Ors v. INEC.
The judgment reaffirmed an earlier ruling delivered on July 1, 2025, by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which described the suit as a gross abuse of court process and lacking in merit.
Counsel representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as Ijaw and Urhobo interests in the matter, had argued before the court that the Supreme Court judgment must be implemented ahead of future elections in the oil-rich constituency.
In a related development, the Federal High Court sitting in Warri also dismissed another suit filed by some Itsekiri plaintiffs challenging INEC’s interim report on the delineation exercise released on May 3, 2025.
In the suit marked FHC/WR/CS/37/2025: Ejeyi Philip & Ors v. INEC, the plaintiffs argued that the Itsekiri ethnic nationality was not consulted before the delineation exercise was carried out.
However, the court ruled that the Supreme Court judgment did not mandate INEC to consult any ethnic nationality before implementing the delineation order.
The court further held that the suit was premature since the interim report issued by INEC remained only a proposal and not a final document.
The latest court decisions are expected to further intensify political discussions in Delta State, where the delineation exercise has continued to generate reactions among the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities over issues of representation and electoral balance in Warri Federal Constituency.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dealt another major setback to opposition against the fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency, dismissing an appeal challenging the exercise and affirming a N4 million cost awarded against the appellants.
The ruling has effectively cleared the way for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue implementing the Supreme Court judgment ordering a fresh delineation of wards and polling units in the politically sensitive Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State.
The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1457/2025: Hon. Appearance Afejuku & Ors v. INEC & Ors, was filed by Itsekiri youth leader, Appearance Afejuku, and three others seeking to halt the enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022.
Delivering judgment on Friday, May 15, 2026, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam dismissed the appeal for lacking merit and upheld the N4 million cost earlier awarded by the Federal High Court.
The appellate court held that the issue of Warri delineation had already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court in suit number SC/413/2016: Hon. George U. Timinimi & 9 Ors v. INEC.
The judgment reaffirmed an earlier ruling delivered on July 1, 2025, by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which described the suit as a gross abuse of court process and lacking in merit.
Counsel representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as Ijaw and Urhobo interests in the matter, had argued before the court that the Supreme Court judgment must be implemented ahead of future elections in the oil-rich constituency.
In a related development, the Federal High Court sitting in Warri also dismissed another suit filed by some Itsekiri plaintiffs challenging INEC’s interim report on the delineation exercise released on May 3, 2025.
In the suit marked FHC/WR/CS/37/2025: Ejeyi Philip & Ors v. INEC, the plaintiffs argued that the Itsekiri ethnic nationality was not consulted before the delineation exercise was carried out.
However, the court ruled that the Supreme Court judgment did not mandate INEC to consult any ethnic nationality before implementing the delineation order.
The court further held that the suit was premature since the interim report issued by INEC remained only a proposal and not a final document.
The latest court decisions are expected to further intensify political discussions in Delta State, where the delineation exercise has continued to generate reactions among the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities over issues of representation and electoral balance in Warri Federal Constituency.
