The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it is consulting with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) over lingering issues surrounding the ward and polling unit delineation in Warri Federal Constituency, Delta State.

The assurance came yesterday as members of the Agbarha Warri Kingdom and Okere Urhobo Kingdom staged a peaceful protest at the Commission’s headquarters in Maitama.

The protest was in response to the commission’s delay in implementing a Supreme Court-ordered delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency.

INEC had presented a preliminary report on the delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency to representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities in Asaba on April 4.

The commission allocated new wards across the three local council areas in the constituency.

The protesters yesterday demanded the immediate release of the final delineation report in compliance with the 2022 Supreme Court judgment.

During the protest, community leaders submitted a petition to INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan. Addressing the protesters, INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, said the matter had become a top priority for the Commission, revealing that the INEC Chairman was already engaging the NSA to find a resolution acceptable to all parties.

“Thank you most sincerely for the peaceful approach you have adopted on this issue. On behalf of the Commission, let me assure you that this is a priority for the Commission. In fact, the Chairman is already talking with the Office of the National Security Adviser to ensure that these matters are resolved,” Zuru said.

He added that INEC is equally concerned about ensuring that every eligible community fully participates in the next round of elections and assured that a position would soon be taken on the matter.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “INEC release the true report,” “Urhobos of Warri are majority in Warri South Local Council,” “INEC must obey the law,” and “INEC should follow the order of the Supreme Court.”

Leader of the Warri Urhobo delegation, Adehor Westham, said they were at the INEC office to demand the release of the delineation report, stressing that the Supreme Court had in 2022 ordered the Commission to correct injustices in the ward structure of Warri Federal Constituency. (The Guardian)

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