Tension Mounts in Warri as INEC Conducts Ward Delineation and LG Elections With illegal 12 Wards Structure

By Emma Arubi

The independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has commenced ward declination exercise only in the three (3)Warri LGAs and also conduct Saturday’s LGC elections using illegal Twelve (12) Wards as against the Ten (10) legally Gazeted Federal government Councils in Nigeria.

This is even as the itsekiri ethnic nationality staged a massive protest against both exercises in the oil city.

Addressing newsman on the protest yesterday, the National president of the itsekiri National youth Council INYC, Comrade Godwin Utieyin and Mr. Fabious Jemide Atie Esq. and Chief Omolubi Newuwumi stated that the original Ten (10) Federal Government Gazetted Councils which is among the 774 council recognized by the constitution of Nigeria was illegally increased to Twelve by former Governor James Ibori which their people contested in the State High Court in Warri and the court ordered that INEC should revert to the Ten (10) ward structure since 1999 but INEC has consistently disobeyed that valid Judgment and continued to conduct council elections in Delta with the illegal Twelve wards till date.

They said the current ward delineation being conducted by INEC is still being based on the illegal Twelve Wards to their disadvantage intended to undo them politically to oppress and claim political advantage over them to their detriment and survival in the state as a minority tribe.

They insisted that though they are the highest oil and gas producing ethnic nationality in Delta state and the second in Nigeria as a whole, this gross injustice will result to chaos in the state and called on the Federal Government to come to come to their aid urgently before things get out of hand.

According to the itsekiri leaders the very rich and populated Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic nationalities that are their customary tenants as legally pronounced by various court of competent jurisdiction up to the supreme court, saying they cannot become political slaves in their own home because of their minority status in the State and country at large.

Only recently, the combine Urhobos and Ijaws got a Supreme Court judgment ordering INEC to carry out this current delineation exercise that is meant to disenfranchise the itsekiri people, thus raising this protest against INEC and exercise.

“If they must conduct this delineation exercise it must be done with the original and Federally recognize Ten (10) Wards Structure only, the itsekiri leaders insisted,” they said.