All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to uphold fairness and legal principles in its ongoing constituency delineation exercise.
Emami who stated this in an interview with journalists in Abuja at the weekend, warned that the recent ward allocations by INEC risk igniting tension among local communities if not reviewed and corrected.
According to the Warri chief, INEC’s current delineation exercise has created widespread resentment, particularly among the Itsekiri people, who feel unfairly marginalised in the process.
“The Supreme Court ruling must be followed, yes, but it must be implemented according to the law, not through selective favouritism,” Emami said.
He lamented a situation where certain communities with smaller populations now want more wards than others with larger populations.
“You cannot give one area with two wards now ten, and reduce those with six wards to four. It is unjust and unacceptable,” Emami stated.
Emami also referenced historical grievances, accusing some of the favoured communities of past violence and displacement against the Itsekiri people.
“We’ve seen this before. Our people’s houses were burnt, and our communities attacked. Now those same groups are being rewarded while the Itsekiri are sidelined,” he lamented.
Emami alleged that elements within INEC may be using projected population figures instead of proper census data, leading to flawed allocations.
“You cannot use projected census data. You must use verified census figures as required by law,” he stressed.
The Warri chief accused the leadership of the delineation committee of deliberately favouring certain groups, calling for an independent investigation into the entire process.
“We’ve told the President. We’ve told everyone who cares to listen. INEC must be transparent, or else this will spark another crisis like those of 1996 and 2003,” Emami warned.
According to Emami, political conflicts at the national level are now filtering down to local constituency arrangements, to the detriment of another group.
Emami described current ward delineation as a veiled attempt at “ethnic cleansing” of the Istekiri from political representation.
“This is nothing short of genocide against our people, in a political sense,” he declared.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene, urging the federal government to ensure that INEC adheres strictly to lawful procedures.
