Rivers: Analyst Calls For Creation Of New Constituencies In Ogoniland

A public affairs analyst, Dr. Dormene Mbea has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the federal government to initiate the delineation of constituencies, wards and local government areas in Ogoniland, Rivers State.

Mbea, who made the call in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday argued that the same consideration recently extended to communities in Delta State should be applied to the people of Ogoni.

He was reacting to the recent resolution of the dispute surrounding the ward delineation exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Delta State, which culminated in a power-sharing agreement between the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities over the proposed Warri Federal Constituency II following Tinubu’s intervention

The public affairs analyst stated that the federal government’s willingness to address representation concerns in Delta State demonstrates that similar action can be taken to address longstanding political and structural challenges confronting Ogoniland.

He argued that Ogoni communities remain grossly underrepresented politically despite their population size, historical contributions to Nigeria’s economy and decades of agitation against environmental injustice.

“If Delta State can benefit from constituency and ward delineation exercises to address representation concerns, then Ogoni deserves the same treatment. The Federal Government should not apply one standard to one region and another standard to Ogoniland,” Mbea said.

The analyst specifically called on the President to direct INEC to immediately commence a comprehensive ward and constituency delineation exercise across Ogoniland, just as it recently undertook in Delta State.

“The President should direct INEC to immediately carry out ward delineation in Ogoniland just as they did in Delta State between the Ijaw and Itsekiri communities. This will help address years of political imbalance and underrepresentation affecting the Ogoni people,” he stated.

Mbea maintained that the existing political structure in Ogoniland no longer reflects demographic realities, especially in some constituencies where numerous communities are grouped together under a single electoral ward or constituency.

He cited Khana State Constituency II, particularly the Nyokhana axis, where between 16 and 20 communities are reportedly combined into one political ward, describing the arrangement as unfair and outdated.