INDI demands removal of INEC Officials responsible for recommending ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency

The Itsekiri National Development Initiative, INDI, has called for the removal of INEC Officials responsible for recommending Ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency, accusing them of compromise.

The INDI, in a statement titled: ‘PETITION AGAINST THE OFFICIALS OF THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORIAL COMMISSION (INEC) HANDLING THE DELINEATION EXERCISE IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY. A CALL FOR THEIR REMOVAL’ and made available to Fresh Angle International, Monday April 7, said Itsekiri leaders had previously suspected INEC officials of lacking transparency from the outset.

The statement, which was e-signed by the Coordinators of Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Areas of INDI, Comrade Bokhan Otone, Comrade Henry Omajugho and Comrade Friday Okotie, respectively, noted: “We the Itsekiri National Development Initiative (INDI), a body consisting of members from Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South West LGAs, and indigenous members of the above-mentioned Local Government Areas, who will be significantly impacted if the current Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials are allowed to implement their purported plan of releasing the final report on the Ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency.

“The Itsekiri representatives and leaders had previously suspected INEC officials of lacking transparency from the outset, resulting in the ongoing litigation at the Federal High Court.

“GROUNDS FOR THE PETITION

“We hinged the grounds of our petition as follows:

“1. That the INEC officials responsible for the delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency have been heavily compromised, as they have been corrupted by some individuals from other ethnic nationalities, who have boosted on several occasions that our land documents will remain in our hand, and that they will dominate us politically in our home town.

“2. The hasty release of the proposed ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency by INEC officials, notwithstanding a pending appeal, confirms the initial apprehensions of our representatives.

“3. Moreover, the act of handing over the proposed ward delineation documents to representatives with the instruction to not open them until they exit the hall is cause for concern and implies that INEC officials recognized the potential for chaos resulting from their opaque and unfair process, which appears to favor a specific tribe.

“4. The proposal of Wards to rename areas in Warri South LGA with names that are alien and non-existent in an attempt to claim ownership of land that has been decided in favour of the Itsekiri, such as Egborodoje, Eruogwaran Otowodo/Omoine, Otor-Itifo/macro, has once again substantiated our suspicions about the INEC officials' activities, indicating that they are acting according to a predetermined script.

“5. The proposal for wards for the Ijaws in Warri South LGA where they are non-indigenes, in Itsekiri lands, with non-existent names like Ewein, Bulou Ama, Ewein and Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban, confirms our suspicion that INEC is following a predetermined script.

“This attempt was previously made by the Ijaws during the last delineation by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) but was rejected. We cannot explain how INEC want to turn a non indigene to an indigene of a place overnight.

“6. INEC proposal to establish 4 wards from an existing ward, with 8 and 9 Polling Units, respectively, whereas existing wards in other areas remain with 24 or 26 Polling Units, confirms our apprehensions.

“7. The reduction of the majority of Itsekiri wards, established by INEC in prior years, to a minority, and the increase of Ijaw wards from 4 to 14 in Warri North LGA, is concerning.

“Similarly, in Warri South West LGA, this development confirms our suspicions that INEC officials were following a predetermined script.

“8. The relocation of 2 Polling Units, including Oteghele and Ukpokiti, from Omadino land in Obodo/Omadino ward to Ogunu/Ekurede Urhobo ward in Warri South LGA, a distance of over 20 kilometers, raises concerns about potential bias, corruption, and scripted actions among INEC officials.

“9. The purported report from fieldwork released by INEC on Friday last week in Asaba does not reflects what is ground.

“Consequently;

“a. We reject the proposed ward delineation in its entirety for Warri Federal Constituency.

“b. We demand the removal of all INEC officials involved in or handling the delineation exercise, as they have demonstrated bias and been compromised.

“c. We recommend a genuinely Independent National Electoral Commission to carry out ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency, with oversight from Civil Society Organizations.”

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