Controversy has continued to trail the ongoing delineation of Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State.
The latest comes from leaders of some oil-producing communities in Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom, Delta State, who have demanded the removal of three national commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for allegedly influencing the exercise.
The Ijaw leaders further claimed that the commission’s commissioners had hijacked the process, disregarded official data and reports by allocating electoral wards in favour of certain political or economic interests.
Leaders of the communities at a press conference on Sunday, alleged that a ‘cabal of commissioners’ within INEC are serving their own interests and undermining efforts for fair representation in Warri wards allocation.
The communities are led by Deacon Clement Tekedor, Chief Samson Oyimi, Emmanuel Kusimi and Hon. Johnbull Aniyanghan.
In a press statement they issued at Tekedor/Kusimi also known as Egwa 11 community, Warri South West local government area, they alleged that the commissioners dismissed the findings of INEC officials who conducted fieldwork in July 2024, which indicated that Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom, home to the Ajuju/Batan, Odidi 1 and Odidi 11, Egwa 11 oil fields and flow stations, Ikeremor manifold and Ugbanabubou oil field, deserved more electoral wards than the two allocated to them from the present 19.
Part of the press statement read, “There is a group of commissioners who have taken control of the delineation process. They are deliberately ignoring the National Population Commission (NPC) population data and actual field reports, instead relying on manipulated figures to allocate wards.
“They are insisting on allocating registration areas without reference to the actual data, even adding fictitious communities to justify their decisions. This is part of a deliberate attempt to marginalise Ogbe-Ijoh and other communities that threaten their influence.”
According to them, they have it on good authority that the commissioners had resorted to the intimidation of INEC officials who opposed their plans, including threats of sack, punitive postings to favour their preferred boundaries.
“These national commissioners have used all sorts of tactics against INEC workers with knowledge of the actual population records and field work, including threat of sack, punitive posting outside the INEC national headquarters, bullying and doctoring of the actual field work and reports, addition of hundreds of fictitious communities in some parts of the Warri South West LGA, all in a bid to frustrate and undermine Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom,” the leaders said.
They accused the commissioners of acting against the spirit of the law and the Supreme Court’s order for a fresh delineation, adding that their actions threaten the integrity of the process and could lead to unrest in oil-producing communities.
“We again call on the chairman of INEC to save Ogbe-Ijoh people from the oppression of his national commissioners, who have hijacked the fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency.
“They should remove their knees from the neck of the Ogbe-Ijoh people and allow us breath by allowing the NPC population/settlements data and actual field work to be used for the fresh delineation in Warri South West LGA,” they said.
