Rule of Law Under Siege: Ijaw and Urhobo Protesters Demand Urgent Implementation of Supreme Court-Ordered Warri Delineation

THREAT TO RULE OF LAW AND DEMOCRACY IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF DELTA STATE’

STATEMENT ISSUED BY IJAW AND URHOBO PROTESTERS ON MONDAY THE 1ST DAY OF JUNE, 2026 TO ALERT NIGERIANS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON THREAT TO THE RULE OF LAW AND DEMOCARCY AS A RESULT OF INEC’S DELAY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS FINAL REPORT ON THE SUPREME COURT ORDERED FRESH DELINEATION OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF DELTA STATE

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Gentlemen of the Press would recall that on the 20th day of May, 2026, INEC released its final report of the Supreme Court ordered fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State to stakeholders at Asaba, Delta State.

At that presentation of the final report, INEC National Commissioner, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Tukur Yusuf who represented the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN stated that the presentation was the decision of the Commission on the fresh delineation for immediate implementation. 

Specifically, the Commission representative stated that a total of Twenty (20) Registration Areas/Electoral Wards have been created for all the three local government areas, that is Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West Local Government Area.

Furthermore that, the Commission created two additional state constituencies for Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas of Delta State to ensure more representation by the people of Warri Federal Constituency.

The INEC National Commissioner stated further that, in the light of the foregoing and considering the limited time constraint imposed by the INEC timetable for the conduct of the 2027 elections, the Commission would immediately direct political parties to conduct primaries for the nomination of candidates to contest in the 2027 elections in the newly created state constituencies in Warri North and Warri South West Local Government Areas. 

However, the Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri Federal Constituency are shocked that ten days after INEC presented its final report, the implementation of the report has not started as promised by INEC.

We note that the deadline for conduct and submission of list of Candidates of political parties to contest the 2027 general elections is fast approaching.

We have in good authority that INEC’s failure to immediately implement the report of the fresh delineation as promised, is as a result of external interference by the Presidency which ordered that the implementation of the final report be put on hold.

PRESIDENTIAL INTERFERENCE IN INEC’S STATUTORY DUTIES IS THREAT TO RULE OF LAW AND DEMOCRACY

We the Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri condemn in the strongest terms the interference of the Presidency in the implementation of the Supreme Court ordered fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State by INEC. 

The interference by the Presidency is an attack on the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which the President took oath to observe and protect.

By section 161 of the 1999 Constitution, INEC is independent in the performance of its duties and the Presidency has no power whatsoever to direct INEC. The 1999 Constitution clearly state that INEC shall not be subjected to the direction and control of the President. 

Furthermore, by section 287 (2) of the 1999 Constitution, the judgment of the Supreme Court is final and all organs and agencies of government have a constitutional duty to implement orders of the supreme court without delay or hesitation. In this case, the Supreme Court gave a final decision in SC/413/2016: HON. GEORGE U. TIMINIMI & ORS V. INEC and therefore, the Presidency has no constitutional powers to stop its implementation.

We wish to alert the Nigerian people and the international community that, the interference by the Presidency in the implementation of the judgment of the Supreme Court is an attack on the rule of law and democracy in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State in particular and Nigeria in general. According to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while addressing representatives of the Inter-Party Advisory Council at the Aso Rock Villa on the 12th day of March, 2026: democracy is about the rule of law and that ‘the rule of law must prevail in any democracy’’. We insist that the rule of law must prevail in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State. 

The threat to national security being alleged by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to stop the immediate implementation of the fresh delineation is only a subterfuge by the Presidency to alter the final report of the delineation to favour the Itsekiri ethnic group. If anybody or group is threatening the peace of Warri as a result of the implementation of the supreme court judgment, the office of the NSA should go after such a person and not to disrespect the Supreme Court orders. 

The Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri are faced with a similar situation as in 1952 when ethnic consideration by the Awolowo government of western region changed the title of the Itsekiri monarch from Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri without considering the fact that Warri is a multi-ethnic administrative creation by the colonial government for the indigenous people of Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri. 

In the present delineation, enough concessions have been made in favour of the Itsekiri ethnic group by increasing their Registration Areas/Electoral Wards from 4 (four) and 8 (eight) to 7 (seven) and 10 (ten) respectively in Warri South West and Warri North LGAs respectively, despite the fact that their population does not justify the increment. 

In compliance with the dictates of the rule of law, we call on INEC to direct political parties to conduct primaries to nominate candidates for the newly created state constituencies in Warri North and Warri South West LGAs. The Ijaw people of Egbema Kingdom in Warri North LGA who the new state constituency was created for after more than a century of political oppression and suppression are eager to elect political party candidates to participate in the 2027 general elections into the Delta State House of Assembly. If the Itsekiris are not ready to participate in the election of persons into the new state constituency in Warri South West, the Ijaws are ready and should be allowed to participate in the election based on the newly created constituencies and fresh delineation of registration areas and polling units in compliance with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

We state in conclusion that, INEC having concluded its delineation, must only conduct any subsequent electoral activity in the Warri Federal Constituency based on the result of the final delineation presented without any alteration.

The final report of the delineation submitted to stakeholders on the 20th day of May, 2026 must not be altered in any form. It would be recalled that, relocation of a local government headquarters from an Ijaw Community to an Itsekiri community led to the unfortunate Warri crisis of 1997 to 2003. Hence, we must avoid a repeat of the past. A word is enough for the wise!

DATED THIS 1ST DAY OF JUNE, 2026 IN WARRI, DELTA STATE 

AND

SIGNED FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE IJAW AND URHOBO PEOPLE OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF DELTA STATE: