Leaders of the Indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo communities in Warri Federal Constituency have called for the immediate implementation of the Supreme Court-ordered ward delineation report, warning that further delays could threaten the fragile peace in the area.
The stakeholders made their position known at a joint press briefing held in Warri on Sunday.
The meeting was convened by prominent community figures, including Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Chief Victor Okumagba, Chief Denbo-Denbofa Oweikporodor, Chief John Eranvor, Chief Arthur Akpodubakaye, Chief David Reje, and Mr Samuel Ako.
They said the renewed agitation followed a stakeholders’ engagement held in Abuja on June 11, reportedly convened by President Bola Tinubu, which they said helped ease tensions among affected groups.
According to them, any further delay in implementing the Supreme Court directive and the resulting delineation report could undermine the peace process recently achieved through federal intervention.
The leaders urged the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to honour commitments made during consultations and ensure full implementation of the report without alteration.
“We reluctantly accepted painful compromises in the interest of peace and national stability,” the stakeholders said, stressing the need for swift action.
They further appealed to INEC to immediately upload the delineation report to its official platform and begin voter registration and transfer processes across the newly created wards and polling units ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The group warned that any attempt to alter or delay the implementation would be viewed as a breach of trust by both the Federal Government and INEC.
“We state in conclusion that any further delay in the implementation of the delineation report and attempt to alter the report will amount to betrayal of trust by the Federal Government and INEC,” they declared.
They recalled that INEC had earlier released the Supreme Court-backed delineation report on May 20, which created 20 registration areas and electoral wards across Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West Local Government Areas.
The report also proposed additional state constituencies for Warri North and Warri South-West, while recommending a restructured federal constituency arrangement within the area.
According to the leaders, the recommendations were initially widely accepted by Ijaw and Urhobo stakeholders before implementation was suspended, triggering protests across the constituency.
They noted that the suspension led to demonstrations by women, youths, and community leaders, including the temporary blockade of key oil and gas facilities and parts of the Escravos River.
The situation, they added, prompted intervention by President Bola Tinubu, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and top security officials, who convened a high-level peace meeting involving representatives of the affected ethnic groups.
The leaders maintained that full and timely implementation of the delineation report remains essential to sustaining peace, stability, and democratic participation in the region.
