Warri constituency delineation: Ijaw protest over S/Court ruling
The Ijaw ethnic nationality in Warri, Delta State, has held a peaceful protest in support of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the delineation of Warri federal constituency, saying the electoral umpire discharged its duty creditably. At the rally yesterday in Abuja, which ended at the INEC office, the protesters said that for over […]
The Ijaw ethnic nationality in Warri, Delta State, has held a peaceful protest in support of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the delineation of Warri federal constituency, saying the electoral umpire discharged its duty creditably.
At the rally yesterday in Abuja, which ended at the INEC office, the protesters said that for over 29 years, they had been victims of ‘ward allocation,’ adding that the commission acted right in implementing the Supreme Court judgement.
The spokesman of the group, Chief David Reje, also dismissed reports that all the stakeholders were not consulted before INEC kick-started the delineation.
“We have come here to appreciate you for the good work you have done since 2022 after the Supreme Court judgement. You never jettisoned the judgement. You committed yourself to the rule of law and the principles of good governance; and you really took it upon yourself to engage all the stakeholders of the nationalities of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo.
“And by your fieldwork you have been able to come out with a proposed document somehow, a proposed report. And we found out that some people are trying to become funny as if they were not involved in the whole process. We were all involved in the whole process in Warri, Asaba and everything.
“So we have come to appreciate you and let the public know that you never did any job in the classroom or bedroom. It was a public work, a public assignment demonstrated by mostly going through the creeks or the nooks and crannies of the three areas.
The protesters were received by top INEC officials, led by two national commissioners, Prof Abdullahi Zuru and Malam Mohammed Haruna.
Addressing the protesters, Prof Zuru said the commission was dedicated to doing the right thing at all times.
Meanwhile, INEC has said that it is yet to conclude the Supreme Court ordered delineation of the Warri federal constituency wards.
Mr Sam Olumekun, INEC national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, noted this in a statement in Abuja. He stated that the commission’s attention was drawn to the misleading narratives about the proposed delineation of wards in Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West federal constituency as ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgement delivered on December 2, 2022.