No decision has been taken on Supreme Court ordered ward delineation in Warri, says INEC

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday clarified that no final decision has been taken on the proposed delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The commission made the clarification in a statement by a National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Mr Sam Olumekun in Abuja.

The electoral umpire has thus asked all stakeholders in the area to submit their views on the draft report to assist the commission in arriving at an acceptable exercise.

Reports in the media indicated that some of the communities in the area have shut down oil production in protest against what they called unfair delineation and ethic cleansing by the commission.

However, INEC has categorically said that it has not carried out any delineation of wards in the area but engaging stakeholders, stressing that the purpose of its recent stakeholders meeting was to give everybody involved the opportunity to make their opinion known.

The Commission assured that it will continue to operate based on fairness, equity, the rule of law and in full consultation with all stakeholders.

The statement by Olumekun reads, “Our attention has been drawn to the misleading narratives about the proposed delineation of Wards in Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West Federal Constituency as ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgement delivered on 2nd December 2022.

“Following the Supreme Court judgement, the Commission embarked on extensive consultations from February 2023 to July 2024 involving all the critical stakeholders, followed by fieldwork in all the communities in the three Local Government Areas culminating in the production of a draft report.

“The Commission held further consultation with stakeholders in Warri last week Friday, 4th April 2025, where copies of the draft report were presented to the representatives of each of the parties connected with the issue.

“The purpose was to give them the opportunity to raise any concerns they might have. The overall objective was to arrive at an amicable agreement endorsed by all the parties involved.

“Therefore, contrary to the speculations making the rounds, the Commission is yet to take a final decision on the delineation of Wards in the Warri Federal Constituency.

“We urge representatives of the various stakeholders to submit their obesrvations on the draft report which will serve as the basis for further engagement on the matter.

“Meanwhile, we appeal to all stakeholders in the constituency to refrain from engaging in any activity that could threaten the peace and security of the area. The Commission will continue to operate based on fairness, equity, the rule of law and in full consultation with all stakeholders”, the statement concluded.