Warri Delineation: Hold INEC responsible for any unrest, Ijaw and Urhobo protesters warn

Ijaw and Urhobo protesters on Tuesday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately implement its final report on the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency, warning that the commission should be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order or disruption of oil and gas operations in the Niger Delta if it fails to act.

The warning was issued during a protest at the INEC Delta State Headquarters in Asaba, nearly two weeks after the commission presented its final delineation report to stakeholders on May 20, 2026. The protesters recalled that INEC National Commissioner, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Tukur Yusuf, representing the Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), had described the report as the commission’s final decision and approved it for immediate implementation.

According to the protesters, the report created additional wards across Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West Local Government Areas and established two new state constituencies to improve representation within the Warri Federal Constituency. They noted that Yusuf had also indicated that political parties would be directed to conduct primaries for candidates seeking election into the newly created constituencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The groups expressed concern that implementation had yet to commence despite the approaching electoral timetable, alleging that external interference from the Presidency was responsible for the delay. They argued that any attempt to halt implementation would undermine INEC’s constitutional independence and violate the Supreme Court judgment that ordered the fresh delineation.

Warning of possible consequences, the protesters said the failure to implement the report could heighten tensions in the region, recalling that disputes over political and administrative decisions in Warri contributed to the 1997–2003 Warri crisis and the wider Niger Delta unrest that affected Nigeria’s oil production. They specifically cited potential risks to operations of major oil companies, including Chevron, Shell and Mobil.

The protesters called on INEC to proceed with all subsequent electoral activities in Warri Federal Constituency based strictly on the final delineation report and to direct political parties to conduct primaries for the newly created constituencies. Receiving the protest letter on behalf of the commission, Osifo Kingsley, Head of General Administration and Procurement at INEC Delta State, assured the demonstrators that the petition would be forwarded to the Resident Electoral Commissioner and subsequently transmitted to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.