By Tosan Atie/ Warri
THE Itsekiris of the three Warri local government areas of Delta State have expressed their lack of confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the ward delineation in the three council reas of the state.
This was made known during a press release signed and made available by Mr. Jemide Atie Esq. on behalf of Concerned Itsekiri Leaders (CIL)at the Government House Annex, Warri after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Stakeholders meeting.
The people, had earlier in the day took to the streets in their hundreds to protest the proposed Independent National Electoral Commission’s fresh delineation of wards in the three local government areas of Warri South, Warri North and Warri South West, displaying placards with different inscriptions which included “ INEC must respect the Nigeria Constitution” and “INEC must respect our right to fair hearing.”
The protest which kicked-started from Celestial Junction, Ajamimogha, through Okere road, proceeded to the Warri INEC office, then to the Warri South Local Government Council office before a final stop at the Government House Annex, Warri
According to Atie, “the delineation of wards based on the 2022 court judgment is unacceptable, and INEC must reverse to the earlier judgement delivered on the 10 ward structure at the Federal High Court, Benin.
He said, “why is INEC willing to obey the court judgment only delivered in December 2022 with a timeframe that speaks to future elections, whereas, it has consistently over a period of more than two decades refused to obey multiple judgments, rulings, orders and instructions with regard to the ward structure and number of Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State of Nigeria one of the tripod in the three local government areas proposed by INEC to now be delineated.”
According to him, “this press conference is necessitated by the reality of the overwhelming bias created by the composition of the management/delimitation team or committee set up by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take charge of the proposed delimitation/review of Warri Federal Constituency; comprising of Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West local government areas of Delta State of Nigeria.”
Chief Wilson Olley, who spoke in the same vein as the National President, Itsekiri Youth Council, (IYC), Comrade Godwin Utienyin and Chief Newuwumi Omolubi, said they now lack confidence in the committee because it has no single Itsekiri being invited for the very first set of stakeholders meeting for the purpose of the exercise, therefore, there is a need for non-interested parties from different ethnic nationalities to serve as umpires.
