By THE Itsekiri ethnic nationality has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) proposed fresh delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency, describing the exercise as “fraudulent, unconstitutional and skewed.”
At a press conference in Warri on Monday, Chief Brown Mene, who spoke on behalf of the Warri Traditional Council of Chiefs, said the exercise breached both the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, and called on the Federal Government to institute an independent commission of inquiry to investigate what the Itsekiri regard as gross manipulation.
Some members of the council, who are custodians of Itsekiri culture and decision-making present at the press conference, included but not limited to Chief Engr. Oritsema Eyewuoma; the Ologbotsere of Warri, Chief Johnson Amatserunleghe, the Iyatsere of Warri; Chief Gabriel Awala, the Uwangue of Warri; Chief Tesigiweno Yayah Pessu, the Ojomo of Warri; Chief Anthony Ewarami Onuwaje, the Otsodi of Warri; and Chief Brown Mene, the Ogwa-Olusan of Warri Kingdom, among others.
“As a law-abiding nationality, we are not opposed to the execution of the Supreme Court order on re-delineation,” Chief Mene declared. “But we firmly reject the bias, illegality and phantom wards introduced by INEC. The coordinates of the polling units created do not correspond with actual locations on the ground.”
Allegations of Phantom Communities
The Itsekiri leaders accused INEC of overstepping its constitutional mandate by recognising or altering communities, engaging in ethnic profiling, and siting polling units in rivers, swamps and even neighbouring states. Survey evidence presented at the conference showed cases of units allegedly mapped in Edo and Ondo States, with others “floating” inside rivers like the Benin River.
In Warri South-West alone, they claimed, 510 polling units were located outside the local government area, with one (PU289 at Turufagbene) allegedly falling inside Edo State. Similar irregularities, they said, were uncovered in Warri North and Warri South LGAs.
“These findings demonstrate clear administrative overreach,” the communiqué stated. “INEC has no constitutional power to determine community ownership or to create imaginary settlements.”
Chief Brown Mene addressing the pressing conference on Monday
Call for Sanctions
The Itsekiri demanded not only an inquiry but also the punishment of officials found culpable, to serve as a deterrent.
They also insisted on the immediate implementation of the Court of Appeal’s judgment affirming a ten-ward structure for Warri South LGA, noting that no appeal is pending against that decision.
“INEC must work with empirically valid voter registers and lawful guidelines, not aerial maps or contrived population figures,” the statement read.
Escalating Ethnic Tensions
The controversy has once again deepened ethnic fault lines in Warri. While the Itsekiri have dismissed INEC’s report as fraudulent, their Urhobo and Ijaw counterparts have welcomed it, claiming it addresses long-standing imbalances.
At their own press conference, Ijaw and Urhobo stakeholders dismissed the Itsekiri petition as “a desperate fraud,” accusing them of seeking to obstruct justice delivered by the Supreme Court. They insisted that the delineation was carried out strictly under judicial order and warned that any attempt to reverse it would undermine democracy and peace in the Niger Delta.
The rhetoric has already raised fears of renewed violence in a region with a history of bitter inter-ethnic clashes over political representation and resource control.
Scores of Itsekiri across age and social status at the press conference on Monday
Oil and Security Risks
Of particular concern is the Ijaw and Urhobo threat to shut down strategic oil and gas facilities should the delineation be tampered with. The Itsekiri, however, condemned such threats as “rascality,” warning that vandalism of national assets would only worsen insecurity.
Analysts warn that the dispute, if left unresolved, could destabilise both local governance and Nigeria’s oil economy, as Warri remains a strategic hub for petroleum infrastructure.
What Next?
The ball is now firmly in the Federal Government’s court. If an inquiry is established, it may either vindicate INEC or validate Itsekiri fears of manipulation. But for now, the controversy has laid bare the fragility of Warri’s peace and the contested nature of its political boundaries.
As one Itsekiri leader put it: “We are not asking for favours. We are asking for fairness, legality and truth. Without that, Warri cannot know peace.”
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