We’ll Wait 2 Days, Then Petition LPDC”: Warri Groups Give INEC Chairman Ultimatum Over Delineation Report Delay

Ijaw and Urhobo leaders in Warri Federal Constituency have given INEC Chairman Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), implementation of the Commission’s May 20 delineation report, threatening to petition the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee if he fails to act.

Speaking during Monday’s peaceful protest at Ogbe-Ijoh Market in Warri South LGA, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, focal person representing the Ijaws expressed loss of confidence in the INEC chairman’s leadership over the stalled implementation of the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of wards and constituencies.

“It should be noted that the chairman of INEC is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a practicing senior advocate, and he’s supposed to be an upholder of Supreme Court judgments,” Gbenekama said.

“But we’re losing faith in his chairmanship. As a professor of law, younger lawyers were supposed to take a cue and learn from the present INEC chairman. If today, in this small Warri Federal Constituency, the INEC chairman can take a course and stop legal processes ordered by the Supreme Court, then elections - general elections and whatever elections that will be conducted under his chairmanship - are at risk. Democracy is actually at risk.”

Further said, they would wait “one or two days” before formally petitioning the LPDC to determine if the chairman’s actions align with legal ethics.

“We advise that, as a professor of law, he should do the right thing and retire and keep his name intact,” he added.

INEC presented its final report on the fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency to stakeholders in Asaba on May 20, 2026. At the event, National Commissioner Alhaji Abdulrazaq Tukur Yusuf, representing Prof. Yakubu, described the report as approved for “immediate implementation” due to time constraints ahead of the 2027 elections.

Ten days later, the Ijaw and Urhobo communities say no action has been taken. They allege the delay stems from “external interference by the Presidency,” which they claim violates Section 161 of the 1999 Constitution guaranteeing INEC’s independence, and Section 287(2) mandating compliance with Supreme Court judgments.

The groups are demanding that INEC direct political parties to conduct primaries for two newly created state constituencies in Warri North and Warri South West LGAs, including one for Egbema Kingdom, which they say has faced “over a century of political marginalization.”

INEC had not responded to requests for comment at press time. The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee regulates conduct of legal practitioners in Nigeria.