Warri Delineation: Ijaw, Urhobo Leaders Urge FG to Disregard Opposing Claims, Affirm Presence in Warri South,
By EgbemaVoice Reporter,
Ijaw and Urhobo leaders in Warri have defended the final report of the Supreme Court-ordered delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency, urging the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard what they described as misleading claims by some Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha Kingdom.
Speaking during a joint press briefing on Wednesday at Olabrakonpre Community, Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, the leaders clarified that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu never directed INEC to alter the names of Registration Areas or Electoral Wards in Warri South Local Government Area.
According to them, the President's intervention was mainly focused on power-sharing arrangements among the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities within the three Warri Local Government Areas, adding that INEC has already concluded and implemented the final delineation exercise in line with the Supreme Court judgment.
The leaders commended INEC for releasing the final delineation report and maintaining compliance with agreements reached among stakeholders.
They also rejected claims that there are no Ijaw communities in Warri South Local Government Area, insisting that historical records, electoral documents, government laws, and administrative records clearly establish the presence of Ijaw communities in the area.
According to the leaders, communities such as Ewein, Ogbe-Ijoh, Bulou-Ama, Perebiri, Lotiebiri, and Ikiandumu have long been recognized as Ijaw settlements within Warri South LGA.
They maintained that the recent delineation exercise only corrected years of political marginalization and underrepresentation suffered by the Ijaw people in the area.
The group further called on INEC to conduct a special voter registration exercise and facilitate voter transfers in all newly created Registration Areas and polling units across the Warri Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peace, justice, fairness, and harmonious coexistence among the ethnic nationalities in Warri while urging all stakeholders to support the implementation of the final delineation report.
The statement was jointly signed by Alaowei Denbo-Denbofa Oweikpodor, Olorogun Victor Okumagba, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Chief John Eranvor, Chief Arthur Akpodubakaye, Chief Femi Okumagba, Chief David Reje, and Pastor Samuel Ako, statement fully eeads
June 24, 2026
IJAW AND URHOBO LEADERS OF WARRI JOINT PRESS BRIEFING IN RESPONSE TO THE PRESS STATEMENT OF SOME ITSEKIRI AND URHOBOS OF AGBARHA IN WARRI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
The attention of Ijaw and Urhobo Leaders of Warri has been drawn to a joint press statement issued on Friday, the 19th of June, 2026 by some Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State in relation to the intervention of President Tinubu in the outcome of the Supreme Court ordered fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State. The statement was laced with misrepresentations to mislead the general public as it relates to names and composition of registration areas/electoral wards and the status of the Ijaws in Warri South LGA.
PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION ON WARRI SOUTH LGA
For the avoidance, we wish to state as follows:
That President Bola Ahmed Tinubu never directed for the change of names of registration areas/electoral wards in Warri South Local Government Area as proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The President’s directive on registration areas/electoral wards was clear and restricted to Warri South West LGA and generally on power sharing in the three Warri Local Government Areas.
The directive of President Tinubu and agreement of stakeholders on INEC’s registration areas/electoral wards has since been implemented by INEC’s final composition of registration areas released on Tuesday, the 16th day of June, 2026. The INEC delineation of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State in line with the Supreme Court judgment has been concluded.
We commend INEC for its compliance with the agreement of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo stakeholders in the timely release of the final report of the Supreme Court ordered delineation of registration areas/electoral wards.
However, we must state that, the Presidential intervention in relation to Warri South Local Government Area which was for the holistic sharing of power by the constituent ethnic nationalities of Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ijaws was regrettably frustrated by the Itsekiri delegation at the mediation meeting held on the 12th day of June, 2026 at the NSA’s office, Abuja.
Contrary to the false impression in the joint statement, the Presidential directive on power sharing was not restricted to the proposed Warri Federal Constituency 11, but to all positions in the Warri Federal Constituency, including the Warri Federal Constituency 1 covering Warri South LGA. This point was clearly made by the Federal Government delegation at the mediation meeting of June 12, 2026.
This was the reason why Olorogun Victor Okumagba and Chief Westham Adehor were nominated by the Urhobo Ethnic Nationality to represent them in the negotiation meeting at the NSA’ office in order to decide power sharing in Warri South LGA. The presence of the Urhobo delegation at the power sharing meeting was not merely to witness Ijaw and Itsekiri power sharing agreement for the proposed Warri Federal Constituency 11, but for power sharing in Warri South LGA, but were frustrated out of the negotiation process by the Itsekiri delegation.
It is therefore ridiculous and disgraceful for some Urhobos from Agbarha Kingdom to be happy to join the Itsekiris to issue a joint statement to undermine Urhobo interest in Warri South LGA in order to perpetrate Itsekiri dominance over other ethnic nationalities in the local government area.
We must state clearly that, the Ijaws and Urhobos are not satisfied with the Eight (8) Registration Areas/Electoral Wards allocated to the Itsekiris in Warri South LGA considering their small population. However, we accepted the final report of the delineation in Warri South LGA as a mark of respect for Mr. President. Hence, we call on the Itsekiris to allow sleeping dogs lie.
The fact that, the Itsekiris are still agitating despite Presidential intervention altering the final delineation report in their favour across the Warri Federal Constituency as against the actual INEC field report demonstrates their insatiable urge to dominate their neighbours and persistent affronts to constituted authorities over matters that have been resolved. They have demonstrated this disrespectful character to authorities in their opposition to various reports of Commissions of Inquiries and White Papers on how to resolve inter-ethnic rivalries in Warri.
IJAWS PRESENCE IN WARRI SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.
The unholy alliance of some Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha also stated in their joint press briefing that there is no Ijaw community in Warri South Local Government Area.
We wish to state for the umpteenth time that, this ugly lie has reared its head severally and has also been buried severally. This issue has been presented to government agencies and institutions by Itsekiris and some Urhobos from Agbarha Kingdom and has been flatly rejected severally because it negates the actual reality on ground.
For the purpose of the Supreme Court ordered fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency, the issue of whether the Ijaw people are part of Warri South Local Government Area was raised at a meeting of INEC with stakeholders from Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobos held on 21st day of March, 2024 at Asaba and another meeting of INEC National Leadership with Focal Persons of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobos at the Government House Annex, Warri, Delta State on the 8th day of July, 2024 prior to the assignment of field workers to the respective settlements within the Warri South Local Government Area. The meeting had in attendance two INEC National Commissioners, and it was resolved in the presence of Itsekiri focal persons and Agbarha representative without objection that from available intelligence reports, physical communities on ground and existing electoral polling units, the Ijaw people are integral part of Warri South Local Government LGA.
It was on this basis that, a team of INEC Field Officers were assigned to the Ijaw Communities in Warri South LGA, just as INEC Field Officers were assigned to the Itsekiri and Urhobo Communities in Warri South LGA. Furthermore, the INEC field officers assigned to the Ijaw Communities were the ones who covered the Ijaw settlements constituting the newly created Ewein, Bulouama (GRA 2), Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban electoral wards/registration areas. The INEC field officers assigned to Itsekiri and Urhobo settlements did not cover any of the communities covered by the Ewein, Bulouama (GRA 2) and Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban electoral wards because they are indigenous Ijaw communities/settlements, where the Ijaws resides to the knowledge of all persons and authorities.
The point must be made that, contrary to the false impression created by the unholy alliance of some Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha, the Ijaws have always been part of Warri South LGA politically, but oppressed, suppressed and denied political representation over the years.
For the avoidance of doubt, in 1955, when the first local administrative structure was established and electoral delineation done in Warri City, the Ijaw people in the present Warri South LGA were included in the Warri Urban District Council together with a section of Urhobo and Itsekiri as defined by Western Region Laws of Nigeria No 177 of 1955. The former Warri Urban District Council constitutes part of the present Warri South LGA. The law created four autonomous electoral wards for the Ijaw people in Warri Township which were– Alders town B3, Ogbe-Ijoh Ward C1, Ogbe-Ijoh Ward C2 and Government Area F1.
The 1963 National Census was carried out with this electoral ward structure showing the Ijaw population. The elected Ijaw Councillors remained operational till sometime in 1976, when the Olusegun Obasanjo’s Military Government introduced local Government reforms giving birth to the present local Government structure.
The introduction of Local Government Administration and the subsequent delineation of electoral wards in the area concerned led to the balkanization of the hitherto homogenous Ijaw four wards into mere polling units in different wards mainly as minorities. The electoral wards that, the Ijaw settlements were balkanized into before the Supreme Court Ordered delineation of electoral wards in the present Warri South LGA were Pessu, GRA, Bowen and Okere wards.
For example, the former Ogbe-Ijoh CI Ward and Ogbe-Ijoh C2 Ward were suppressed into Pessu Ward as Polling units 14 and 15 (Ogbe-Ijoh Transhall 1 and Ogbe-Ijoh Transhall 11). This balkanization made the Ijaws minorities, politically weak and excluded from the political system by the oppressive Itsekiri hegemony. This oppression tendencies partly spur the litigation that led to the Supreme Court judgment.
The fact that the Ijaw areas were balkanized into polling units, marginalised and denied of political representation does not mean that the Ijaws do not exist in Warri South Loca Government Area before the Supreme Court ordered fresh delineation.
It is these Ijaw areas previously delineated in 1955 as Alder's town B3, Ogbe-Ijoh C1, Ogbe-Ijoh C2 and Government area F1, that the INEC Field Officers assigned to the Ijaw Communities in Warri South LGA visited from the 10th day of July, 2024 to 19th day of July, 2024 and delineated as Bulou-Ama (GRA 2) Ward 02, Ewein Ward 07 and Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban Ward 12. Hence, the delineation of electoral wards and polling units to cover the Ijaw settlements in Warri Township is not a new development, but has been in existence for decades. The recent exercise only corrected an obvious injustice where the Ijaws in Warri South LGA are balkanized, delineated into different polling units and denied representation in the Warri South LGA administration.
Also, in 2003, when the James Ibori administration as part of its Warri Roadmap to Peace initiated a meeting of Ijaws, Itsekiris and Urhobos leaders on how to distribute electoral wards in the three Warri Local Government Area, it was agreed that the GRA Ward in Warri South LGA should be for the Ijaws. However, the GRA ward was hijacked from the Ijaws by the Itsekiris led by former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, first as SSG and later as Governor of Delta State.
Furthermore, we wish to put on record that, the Ijaw Communities that constituted the newly created Ewein, Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban and GRA (2) (Bulou-Ama) Ward has always been recognised as communities in Warri South LGA. The law establishing the Communities Development Committee (CDC) 2005 presented by former Governor James Ibori and enacted into law by the Delta State House of Assembly clearly stated Ewein, Ogbe-Ijoh, Perebiri, Lotiebiri, Ikiandumu etc as Ijaw settlements in Warri South LGA.
To demonstrate Ijaw political participation in Warri South LGA, Hon. (Mrs) Saro Igangan was twice appointed as a member of the Agbarha CDC representing Ijaws in Warri South LGA in 2005 and 2009 respectively by the administration of Former Governors James Ibori and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. It is important for the general public to note that, the same Hon. Saro Igangan was earlier appointed as Supervisory Councillor for Agriculture in 1998 in Warri South LGA to represent the Ijaws.
The Ewein Community which constitutes part of the newly created Ewein ward in Warri South LGA is by the bank of the Warri River and only separated from Warri Township by a canal of less than 20 metres wide. The boundary between Warri South LGA and Warri South West LGA is by the middle of Warri River. Hence, it is ridiculous for some Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha to argue that, Ewein Community does not exist in Warri South LGA, whereas the Itsekiri Communities of Ode-Itsekiri and Orugbo which are about 5 kilometres away and on the opposite side of Warri Township are regarded as communities in Warri South LGA, when geographically and by the law establishing the Warri South LGA they ought to be in Warri South West LGA.
The question is: How is it logically and legally possible for a community of less than 20 metres close to Warri Township not to be regarded as part of Warri South LGA, but communities situated in a distance of 5 kilometes away from Warri Township are regarded as part of Warri South LGA? The same thing applies to the Itsekiri Communities of Omadino, Obodo and Ubeji and Ugbokodo-Itsekiri that, where you have to pass through Uvwie and Okpe LGAs before you get to these communities, but they are regarded as part of Warri South LGA. The foregoing demonstrates the illogical absurdities in the case of the Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha against Ijaws of Warri South LGA.
It is also important to note that, Gazette No. 1 of 1999 Establishing the Traditional Rulers Council of Delta State recognised Ijaw as one of the ethnic nationalities in Warri South LGA. The same law recognised the throne of the Ovie of Agbarha Kingdom.
In addition, there are overwhelming historical, legal, political and physical evidence of Ijaw presence in Warri South LGA as confirmed by Chief Dore Numa, who was the Leader of the Itsekiri people in his letter to the Resident of Warri Province in 1923, the Warri Assessment Report of 1928, Traditional Rulers Law of Delta State, CDC Law of Delta State, 2005, Western Region Law of 1955 etc. The intelligence community and government agencies investigated all the frivolous petitions of Itsekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha to the effect that, there are no Ijaws in Warri South LGA and they all turn out to be false and rejected. The presence of Ijaws in Warri South LGA was confirmed by all government agencies and implemented by INEC in its final report of registration areas in Warri South LGA released on 16th June, 2026.
We are tempted to ask, if the sense of reasoning of the Itsekiris and a section of Agbarha Urhobos is so blinded by ethnic sentiments that, they cannot come to terms with incontrovertible reality of Ijaw presence in Warri South LGA?
OUR PRAYERS:
In conclusion, we call on the Federal Government and INEC to disregard the ranting of the Itskekiris and Urhobos of Agbarha. The final report of the registration areas/electoral wards for Warri South LGA has been accepted by stakeholders who are already participating in its implementation for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
However, we call for a special registration of voters to be done in all the newly created polling units and registration areas in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State. This is to enable voters who have been denied political participation in the past register to vote in 2027 general elections and onward, and also enable transfer of voters to the newly created polling units and registration areas.
SIGNED FOR IJAW AND URHOBO LEADERS OF WARRI:
ALAOWEI DENBO-DENBOFA OWEIKPODOR
OLOROGUN VICTOR OKUMAGBA
CHIEF GODSPOWER GBENEKAMA
CHIEF JOHN ERANVOR
CHIEF ARTHUR AKPODUBAKAYE
CHIEF FEMI OKUMAGBA
CHIEF DAVID REJE
PASTOR SAMUEL AKO
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