Finally, INEC Clears the Air on Warri Constituency Delineation

…Denies that the process is suspended

By Yinka Giwa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports that it had suspended the Supreme Court-ordered delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency, Delta State, saying no such decision has been taken.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, in a statement clarified that contrary to reports in some national dailies, the proposed delineation had not been abandoned. He stressed that the commission is still studying modalities for implementation of the apex court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022.

“The attention of the commission has been drawn to a newspaper report misquoting an INEC official on the proposed delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency. For the avoidance of doubt, the exercise has neither been suspended nor concluded. No final decision has been reached,” Olumekun said.

He added that while consultations continue, the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is taking place across all local government areas within the constituency, and appealed for calm among all stakeholders. “INEC urges all parties to maintain peace as we work towards fulfilling the mandate of the Supreme Court in a manner consistent with our constitutional responsibility,” he said.

The clarification comes after days of heated controversy over the status of the delineation process. Confusion erupted over the weekend when INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, was quoted as confirming that the exercise had been “escalated to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA)” due to security concerns, sparking speculation that it had been suspended.

At a press conference in Yenagoa, President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, accused the NSA’s office of engineering the suspension, describing it as “an affront to the Supreme Court and a declaration of war against electoral justice.” He said halting the process amounted to subverting the rule of law and undermining the authority of the judiciary.

“It is a dangerous precedent that signals to the nation that court orders can be trifled with when they do not serve the political interests of the powerful,” Okaba declared. He demanded that the Federal Government immediately order INEC to resume the exercise and urged the National Assembly to summon both the NSA and INEC Chairman for explanations.

But a senior official in the NSA’s office quickly denied the charge, insisting that the security adviser had no role in suspending or influencing the delineation. “How can anyone say that? Linking the office to the suspension is incorrect and misleading,” the source said.

The contradictory claims left the exercise shrouded in uncertainty until Olumekun’s clarification, which marked the first categorical statement from INEC headquarters since the controversy broke.

The Supreme Court had, in its December 2, 2022 judgment, ordered INEC to carry out a fresh delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency, following longstanding agitation in representation between Itsekiri, Ijaw, and Urhobo communities. The apex court held that the delineation was long overdue and directed the commission to conduct it before future elections.