The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s recent ward delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State has ignited a storm of protests, ethnic tension, and allegations of bias from key stakeholders in the region.
The delineation report, officially presented at a stakeholders’ meeting in Asaba on April 4, 2025, was handed over by Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Sir Etekamba Udo Umoren, to representatives of the Urhobo, Itsekiri, and Ijaw ethnic nationalities: Chief Victor Okumagba (Urhobo), Dr. Andrew Igban (Itsekiri), and Dr. Joe Bisina (Ijaw).
The exercise, carried out in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment of December 2, 2022, aimed to address longstanding demands for a review of ward structures in Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South West local government areas.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, represented by Prof. Rhoda Gumus, National Commissioner overseeing Delta, Edo, and Cross River states, hailed the conclusion of the fieldwork as a triumph of cooperation and democracy. “This is our fifth engagement with stakeholders since the judgment,” Yakubu stated, “and the successful fieldwork from July 10 to 27, 2024, is a testament to our shared commitment to democratic fairness.”
But what INEC describes as a technical and lawful exercise has triggered outrage across Warri’s diverse communities, particularly among the Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic groups.
At the forefront of the resistance is the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT), led by Secretary Amorighoye Sunny Mene. Addressing journalists shortly after the report’s unveiling, Mene declared the delineation “unfavorable and biased,” accusing INEC of executing a “hatchet job” to tip political scales in favor of the Ijaw ethnic group.
According to Mene, the Itsekiri have been deliberately shortchanged despite possessing larger voter populations and more polling units. He cited Warri North, where Ijaw wards increased from six to ten while Itsekiri wards rose marginally from six to eight, despite the Itsekiri reportedly having 75,912 registered voters and 134 polling units, compared to the Ijaw’s 38,480 voters and 58 polling units.
The disparity was even starker in Warri South West, where the Ijaw gained 15 wards while the Itsekiri were left with just four. Mene expressed shock that the Ijaw, with a similar voter count of about 95,000, received almost quadruple the number of wards as the Itsekiri, who also have 94,000 registered voters.
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“It is a deliberate attempt to expand Ijaw territories at the expense of the Itsekiri,” Mene said. “This injustice will be resisted by all means available to us.”
He also referenced Warri South, where the Itsekiri’s historical dominance of eight wards now stands alongside an increased Urhobo share of 10 wards and three for the Ijaw, despite the Ijaw having no clear territorial base in the area, according to Mene.
Also the Okere-Urhobo Kingdom in Warri South has echoed similar concerns. Prominent leaders including former Delta State House of Assembly member Hon. Matthew Poko Opuoru, Chief Jude Onovughe Igerebou, Chief Venture Daniels Evwherhamre, and Ambassador Duke Ufuoma Barho, have all rejected the new delineation.
“We were shortchanged,” Opuoru stated bluntly. “INEC must crosscheck their data and ensure the wards reflect population and territorial spread. Okere-Urhobo Kingdom has the most populated areas in Warri South—we deserve at least four wards.”
Igerebou criticized the proposal as abnormal and unrepresentative, while Evwherhamre lamented that their six proposed wards were reduced to one. Barho emphasized that INEC ignored the previously submitted data, which outlined population and boundary details in support of new ward creation.
The tension reached a disturbing crescendo with a violent Sunday night invasion of Iyara Community in Warri South by unidentified armed youths. The attackers, armed with guns and machetes, razed a building and injured several residents. Commercial tricycles were left bullet-riddled, and walls scarred with bullet holes.
While no group has claimed responsibility, many suspect the attack is linked to the contentious delineation, with rumors suggesting it was a reaction to the new ward allocations.
Warri South Local Government Chairman, Comrade Isaac Agbateyinro, confirmed the incident and assured that security personnel had been deployed to restore calm. However, Chief Onoriode Okoh, a former youth leader in Iyara, warned against ethnic profiling and urged all groups to remain peaceful.
“We have coexisted peacefully for decades, Urhobos, Itsekiris, and Ijaws are deeply interwoven. This is not the time to destroy that harmony,” he said.
Adding legal weight to the opposition, prominent lawyer Chief Robinson Ariyo declared the entire process flawed, citing violations of the Nigerian Constitution, INEC’s own guidelines, and a pending court appeal. Ariyo argued that the April 4 proposal was in “contempt of court” since INEC had already been served a Motion on Notice seeking to stay further actions.
Rights activist Rita Lori-Ogbebor had also earlier sounded the alarm, calling the Ijaw demands unconstitutional. In a widely circulated statement, she reminded INEC that “the Nigerian Constitution stipulates a maximum of 10 wards per local government.” According to her, any attempt to exceed this limit renders the process null and void.
INEC, on its part, maintains that the delineation reflects constitutional directives and stakeholder input. REC Umoren described the report as “a critical cornerstone toward equitable representation and democratic fairness.”
But with Itsekiri and Urhobo leaders vowing to resist the report’s implementation, and violence already erupting in parts of Warri South, the ward delineation saga appears far from over.
As Warri Federal Constituency braces for possible legal battles, protests, and further tensions, the call for fairness, equity, and peace grows ever louder.
“We will not accept this under any circumstances,” Mene declared. “This act by INEC is like poking fingers into our eyes. We will resist with everything we have.”
