Itsekiri National Development Initiative, INDI, has written to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, over the Ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency, saying it lacks transparency.
INDI, which petitioned the officials handling the delineation exercise, faulted the report from the fieldwork released by INEC in Asaba last week.
The group stated that the report was not a genuine reflection of the Warri Federal Constituency and called for their removal.
Coordinator of Warri South Local Government Area, Bokhan Otone; Coordinator of Warri South West LGA, Henry Omajugho; and Coordinator of Warri North LGA, Friday Okotie, in the statement, recommend a that the ward delineation inbe carried out with oversight from Civil Society Organisations.
The statement reads: “We hinged the grounds of our petition as follows: that the INEC officials responsible for the delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency have been heavily compromised, as they have been corrupted by some individuals from other ethnic nationalities, who have boosted on several occasions that our land documents will remain in our hand, and that they will dominate us politically in our home town.
“The hasty release of the proposed ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency by INEC officials, notwithstanding a pending appeal, confirms the initial apprehensions of our representatives.
“Moreover, the act of handing over the proposed ward delineation documents to representatives with the instruction to not open them until they exit the hall is cause for concern and implies that INEC officials recognized the potential for chaos resulting from their opaque and unfair process, which appears to favor a specific tribe.
“The proposal of Wards to rename areas in Warri South LGA with names that are alien and nonexistent in an attempt to claim ownership of land that has been decided in favour of the Itsekiri, such as Egborodoje, Eruogwaran Otowodo/Omoine, Otor-Itifo/macro, has once again substantiated our suspicions about the INEC officials’ activities, indicating that they are acting according to a predetermined script.
“The proposal for wards for the Ijaw in Warri South LGA where they are non-indigenous, in Itsekiri lands, with non-existent names like Ewein, Bulou Ama, Ewein and Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban, confirms our suspicion that INEC is following a predetermined script. This attempt was previously made by the Ijaws during the last delineation by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, but was rejected. We cannot explain how INEC wants to turn a non-indigene to an indigene of a place overnight.
“INEC’s proposal to establish four wards from an existing ward, with eight and nine polling units, respectively, whereas existing wards in other areas remain with 24 or 26 polling units, confirms our apprehensions.
“The reduction of the majority of Itsekiri wards, established by INEC in prior years, to a minority, and the increase of Ijaw wards from four to 14 in Warri North LGA, is concerning. Similarly, in Warri South West LGA, this development confirms our suspicions that INEC officials were following a predetermined script.
“The relocation of two polling units, including Oteghele and Ugbokiti, from Omadino land in Obodo/Omadino ward to Ogunu/Ekurede Urhobo ward in Warri South LGA, a distance of over 20 kilometres, raises concerns about potential bias, corruption, and scripted actions among INEC officials.
“The purported report from fieldwork released by INEC on Friday last week in Asaba does not reflect what is on the ground.
“Consequently, we reject the proposed ward delineation in its entirety for Warri Federal Constituency. We demand the removal of all INEC officials involved in or handling the delineation exercise, as they have demonstrated bias and been compromised.”
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