Wards delineation: Itsekiris got more than they deserve – Urhobos/Ijaws

…Warn NSA to refrain from manipulating S/Court order

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

The Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri Federal Constituency have urged the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to refrain from any further attempts to manipulate the delineation process ordered by the Supreme Court.

The two ethnic nationalities in Delta State, who made the declaration on Friday at a press briefing in Warri said that the Itsekiri ethnic group got more than what they actually deserved from the last Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) delineation exercise in the Federal Constituency.

Chief Monday Keme, Principal Secretary to HRM, Mon Ene 111, the Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri Kingdom read the joint reaction speech on behalf of the two ethnic groups.

They urged the NSA office and other concerned parties to respect the independence and impartiality of the INEC.

“We are using this medium to draw the attention of the NSA that our peaceful resolve should not be taken as weakness,” they said.

Recall that the Supreme Court had in its unanimous judgment of Dec. 2, 2022 ordered INEC to delineate afresh all the electoral Wards and polling units in Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West Local Government Areas that constituted the Warri Federal constituency of Delta State without which there should be no subsequent elections in the areas.

According to them, the implication of the court’s judgement is that, in the eyes of the law and in actual fact, no electoral wards or polling units exist in the Warri Federal Constituency currently.

They noted that failure of INEC to complete the process of the fresh delineation portends grave danger and risks of no elections in the federal constituency in 2027 and beyond.

They said that the development would have a cascading effects on the 2027 elections in Delta South Senatorial District and by implication Delta State in general.

Speaking further, the people alleged that the

Itsekiri’s was attempting to leverage on the maternal lineage of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu to coerce Mr President into making certain political decisions that were blatant and unjustifiable.

They, however, expressed confidence in the solid democratic credentials of the First Lady and President Bola Tinubu not to fall for the ill-conceived and mischievous lure to reduce them.

“We are confident that the President will not lean to their mischief as that will be paramount to a total disregard for the Constitution.

“Mr. President should understand that everyone matters. This same scenario played out when the first ill-fated delineation exercise was conducted with ruthless regards for the true picture of what was on ground

“The then government was very quick to adopt it but now that the error is being corrected,  the government is dragging its feet because of family ties,” they said.

The people also alleged that the Itsekiris were working with Mrs Daisy Danjuma, the wife of General T.Y. Danjuma to coerce the NSA and Mr President to help them achieve their selfish agenda of nullifying the work of INEC and frustrate the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment.

They condemned in strong term, the ill-conceived effort to manipulate the implementation of the Supreme Court order through personal and familiar connections describing it as anti-democratic and a recipe for political unrest and conflict, that could plunge the entire Niger Delta into anarchy.

They said that the recent INEC fieldwork in the Warri Federal Constituency was an accurate reflection of the demographic and electoral realities in the federal constituency between the different ethnic groups.

“Contrary to claims made by certain elements, the population of the Itsekiri within the Warri Federal Constituency is not more than 10,000 people, as any thoroughly implemented head count will show.

“INEC’s decision to allocate them 21 wards across the three Warri local governments is an over generous and magnanimous acknowledgement of their minority presence.

“This allocation should be seen as a demonstration of the commission’s commitment to inclusiveness, not a compromise of the INEC delineation process,” they.

The people said that federal government should not be intimidated by the threats of the Itsekiri in shutting down a 28,000-barrel-per-day facility in Ogidigben, noting that 

the Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri Federal Constituency, host far more extensive oil facilities.

“We have the capacity to shut down 30 oil facilities within a day and simultaneously, but are only threading the path of peace. We should not be pushed to the wall.

“Our strength is not to be underestimated, and it is our resolve to engage reasonably within the confines of the laws,” the said.

The people, however, said that they would not stand idly by, while attempts were being made to manipulate or undermine their economic and political rights, stressing that they will not be pushed into a corner or cowed by intimidation.