The Itsekiri people of Ugborodo have shut down operations at the Ogidigben Flow Station, a major Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) facility, in protest against over-ward delineation in Delta state.
They described it as a “blatant and unlawful” attempt by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disenfranchise their ethnic group.
The protest, which unfolded Wednesday in the heart of Warri South West local government area, drew hundreds of Itsekiris from various communities in what leaders described as a “peaceful but resolute occupation” of the critical oil installation.
The protesters were armed with placards reading, “Agbassa people are tenants to Itsekiri people. So they can’t have wards,” “INEC, return our electoral ward,” “INEC, stop this broad day of marginalisation,” and
“The Itsekiri are the majority in the three Warris,” among other things.
The protesters, numbering in their hundreds—erected large canopies and chairs on both sides of the Shell facility, with music blaring from a disc jockey, cows being butchered, and meals prepared to sustain the occupation.
Security forces, led by troops from the Nigerian Army, remain on high alert in the area, though the protest has been largely peaceful.
Mr Raymond Pira, a former councillor and deputy leader of the Warri South Legislative House, lamented INEC’s defiance of a standing court order halting the delineation process.
“We are protesting INEC’s contempt of court and the injustice meted out to the Itsekiri people, not just Ugborodo, but the entire Warri Kingdom.
“INEC swore in an affidavit that it would not continue with the delineation, yet they’ve gone ahead as though the courts don’t exist. They think we can be erased because we don’t throw dollars around,” Pira stated.
He pointed to previous actions by the National Boundary Commission under the last administration that allegedly removed Itsekiri communities from coastal zones, favouring Ijaw communities further inland.
“Communities like Oporoza and Ogbududu, far from the Atlantic, were included in deep-sea offshore benefits, while Ugborodo and others on the coast were excluded.
That manipulation happened under the watch of an Ijaw deputy governor, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro,” he said.
Mr Pira described INEC’s new ward configuration as a demographic sleight of hand.
According to him, the figures are inaccurate and strategically designed to marginalise the Itsekiri voice across Warri North, South, and South-West LGAs.
“Warri North had six Itsekiri wards, and the Ijaws had four. Now, the Ijaws have 10, while ours rose only to eight.
“In Warri South, INEC has now given Ijaws—who have no historical presence there, three new wards in core Itsekiri areas. Even our monarch’s palace has been mapped under an Ijaw ward. How do you explain that?”
Victor Laju Udonju, National Vice Chairman of the Ugborodo Community, said following a tripartite meeting with Shell and the Nigerian Army at the protest site on Wednesday.
“This is not just about numbers; this is about our future as a people. INEC has taken our 10 wards and reduced them to five, while our neighbours now control 14. It’s a calculated elimination.
“As things stand, no Itsekiri can be elected chairman, assembly member, or House of Reps in our ancestral lands.
“We’re not leaving the flow station until the federal government listens. This is not just about Ugborodo. This is a matter for the Itsekiri Nation.
“We are not against delineation, but it must follow the law. Dollars don’t create wards—population and voting strength do,” he added. INEC has yet to respond to the allegations, while Shell has been elusive.
