By Didimoko A Didimoko, Warri
Leaders of the Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic groups in Delta State have threatened to petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) against the chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing him of failing to implement a Supreme Court-backed delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency.
At a press conference in Warri on Monday, the leaders alleged that INEC had delayed implementing a final ward delineation report presented on May 20, despite earlier assurances that the process would be carried out ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The report established 20 electoral wards across Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West local government areas and created two additional state constituencies, according to the leaders.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, High Chief Godspower Gbenekama alleged that external interference from the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) was responsible for the delay, although he provided no evidence to support the claim.
“We have it on good authority that INEC’s failure to immediately implement the report is as a result of external interference,” Gbenekama said.
The leaders said they would petition the NJC if the commission failed to act within days, arguing that continued delays could undermine confidence in preparations for the 2027 elections.
They also rejected security concerns reportedly raised over the delineation process, describing them as an attempt to alter the final report.
The delineation followed a Supreme Court judgment in a long-running dispute over electoral representation in the Warri Federal Constituency, a multi-ethnic area inhabited mainly by the Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri peoples.
The leaders warned against any changes to the final report, citing the need to avoid renewed tensions in a region that experienced deadly ethnic conflicts in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
INEC had not responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.
