Political leaders in Delta state from Warri South Local Government area, under the aegis of Urhobos of Warri, Tuesday, staged massive protest in Abuja over plot to reduce the number of existing electoral wards in the council Area. Warri South LGA, consisting majorly of the Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities, has 12 electoral Wards. But the protesting Urhobo leaders alleged that the Itsekiris are plotting to return the Warri South Council Area to 10 electoral Wards, which it was before it was increased to 12 in 1998.
In their position paper jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary General, Chief Westham Adehor and Olorogun Victor Okumagba, respectively, the group maintained that, “the recent call by the Itsekiri people for a return to the pre-1998 era is a call for anarchy, inequity and social/political injustice which we urge INEC to reject.
“In recognition of the vast and dominance of the Urhobo people in Warri South, the predecessor of INEC, National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) deemed it fit in its delineation of 1998, to delineate the entire Warri South LGA into 12 Wards as it was its duty to do. These 12 Wards had been gazetted and given legal recognition by successive governments and electoral bodies.
“It is worthy of note that all successive general elections in Warri South LGA of Delta State have been conducted on the basis of these 12 Wards. The 1998 delineation was effected by means of legal instrument. If the Itsekiri people feel unhappy about the state of affairs, as it is, they can approach the necessary legislature or appropriate quarters to effect an amendment in the law. In that case we’re ready to stage them on a public debate on the propriety of the need to maintain status quo.
“On the absence of this, we state that no amount of pressure from the Itsekiri people or from any other quarters should sway or swerve INEC from the present course of justice and equity that is prevalent on account of these 12 Wards.
Also, and more importantly, we wish to bring to your notice that as law abiding and peaceful people, we have approached the Federal High Court, sitting in Warri in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/70/2020, for a proper interpretation of the relevant laws and to determine the agitation of these Itsekiri people.
“It is against the backdrop of the foregoing that we are protesting that INEC should not deviate from 12 electoral Wards structure in Warri South LGA and to ignore the agitation and pressure of the Itsekiri people on INEC, as an attempt to do otherwise will make INEC liable in contempt of Court and thereby throw Warri into a state of anarchy.