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By Godwin Chukwumaechi
Eminent Itsekiri leaders have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to comply with court verdicts on the delimitation and review of Warri Federal Constituency, and dismantle illegal ward structure in the constituency.
The leaders raised strong objections against the proposed execution of the delimitation and review of Warri Federal Constituency by the INEC, urging it to engage in a fair and transparent review process.
The leaders, in a statement signed by Chief Robinson Ariyo, the Egogo of Warri Kingdom, on behalf of the concerned Itsekiri leaders and made available to our correspondent highlighted concerns of selective justice, gross disrespect for court judgments, marginalization, discrimination, and oppression by INEC.
They referred to a 2022 Supreme Court judgment (SC/413/2016) which ordered the review of wards in Warri Federal Constituency, emphasizing that the judgment was based on constitutional provisions mandating INEC to review state constituencies every 10 years.
They however, noted that INEC’s response to the judgment had been swift, yet superficial, lacking proper adherence to court orders.
Central to their argument was the contention over the ward structure in Warri South Constituencies 1 & 2 where they alleged that INEC had maintained an illegal ward structure for over two decades despite court rulings declaring this unconstitutional.
The Itsekiri leaders cited various legal proceedings and judgments dating back to 1997, where INEC was instructed to adhere to the original 10-ward structure but it failed to comply.
They further accused INEC of manipulating stakeholder meetings and ignoring fundamental rights, pointing to discrepancies in meeting minutes and INEC’s failure to address longstanding legal issues.
The leaders highlighted INEC’s repeated promises to comply with the court orders, but lamented that they were yet to be fulfilled.
The statement also criticized INEC’s decision to isolate Warri for review, despite constitutional obligations for constituency delimitation nationwide. They argued that singling out Warri for review was unjust and ignored the presence of Itsekiri people in other areas.
In conclusion, the Itsekiri leaders urged INEC to dismantle the illegal ward structure and engage in a fair and transparent review process warning of potential further legal action if INEC failed to address their concerns adequately.
