The Indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri Federal Constituency have warned that any further delay in implementing the Supreme Court-backed delineation report for the area could undermine the fragile peace secured through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention, urging the Federal Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to betray the trust reposed in them by stakeholders.
The ethnic groups, who said they reluctantly accepted painful compromises in the interest of peace and national stability, called on INEC to immediately upload the delineation report to its portal and commence voter registration and transfer exercises in the newly created wards and polling units ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We state in conclusion that any further delay in the implementation of the delineation report and attempt to alter the report would amount to betrayal of trust by the Federal Government and INEC,” prominent Ijaw and Urhobo leaders declared during a joint press briefing in Warri on Sunday.
The briefing was jointly addressed by Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Olorogun Victor Okumagba, Chief Denbo-Denbofa Oweikporodor, Chief John Eranvor, Chief Arthur Akpodubakaye, Chief David Reje and Hon. Samuel Ako following the June 11 stakeholders’ meeting convened by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The leaders said their communities had chosen dialogue over confrontation and accepted the President’s intervention despite reservations about changes made to the ward structure in Warri South-West Local Government Area.
According to them, their decision was motivated by respect for the office of the President and a desire to preserve peace in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
“That we have reluctantly accepted the intervention of the President and Commander-in-Chief in respect of the alteration to the Registration Areas/Electoral Wards in Warri South-West Local Government Area as a mark of respect for the President and in the interest of peace,” they said.
The leaders recalled that INEC had on May 20 released the report of the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency, creating 20 registration areas and electoral wards across Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West local government areas.
The report also created additional state constituencies for Warri North and Warri South-West and recommended the creation of a second federal constituency covering the two local government areas, while Warri South would remain under Warri Federal Constituency I.
According to the leaders, the report was widely welcomed by Ijaw and Urhobo stakeholders until its implementation was halted, triggering protests across the constituency.
They said women, youths and community leaders staged peaceful demonstrations and occupied strategic oil and gas facilities, including flow stations, while some protesters blocked parts of the Escravos River to draw national attention to their demands.
The development, they noted, prompted President Tinubu, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and top security officials to intervene through a high-level peace meeting attended by representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities.
At the meeting, President Tinubu reportedly appealed to all sides to embrace compromise and peaceful coexistence.
The leaders disclosed that the President proposed an adjustment to the electoral ward structure in Warri South-West Local Government Area, resulting in an 11-to-9 ward ratio between Ijaw and Itsekiri communities.
They said the President also directed the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding on power sharing and political rotation within Warri Federal Constituency.
The leaders revealed that representatives of the three ethnic groups later met with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and officials of the Department of State Services in Abuja to work on the proposed agreement.
They said the Ijaw and Urhobo delegations proposed a broader power-sharing arrangement covering House of Representatives seats, local government chairmanship positions and commissioner appointments across the three Warri local government areas.
However, they alleged that the Itsekiri delegation opposed aspects of the proposal and insisted that discussions should be limited to the proposed Warri Federal Constituency II.
Despite the disagreement, the leaders said they accepted the advice of the National Security Adviser and agreed to proceed with areas where consensus existed in order not to derail the implementation process.
The groups also used the briefing to express dissatisfaction with adjustments made to the original ward allocations recommended by INEC’s field report.
According to them, the original field report allocated fewer wards to Itsekiri communities in Warri South-West and Warri North based on population and community spread, but subsequent political interventions increased those figures.
While describing the changes as a painful sacrifice, they said they chose peace over conflict and accepted the outcome to support the President’s peace initiative.
The leaders therefore insisted that no further changes should be made to the delineation report.
“INEC must not do any alteration to the May 20, 2026 report in any form whatsoever and under any circumstances,” they said.
They urged the electoral commission to immediately upload the report and begin the process of voter registration and transfer into the newly created registration areas and polling units.
The leaders expressed appreciation to President Tinubu, Governor Oborevwori and National Security Adviser Ribadu for intervening at a critical moment, saying their efforts helped avert a deeper crisis in the Niger Delta.
They maintained that lasting peace in Warri Federal Constituency would depend on the faithful implementation of the delineation report and adherence to agreements reached during the peace process.