By Samuel Ogude
Leaders of the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Warri Federal Constituency have warned stakeholders of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality, particularly Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, against interfering with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s final report on the delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency.
The Ijaw leaders alleged that any attempt to scuttle the implementation of the report released by INEC on May 20, 2026, pursuant to the Supreme Court judgment in Suit No. SC/413/2016: Hon. George U. Timinimi & Ors v. INEC, could trigger another ethnic crisis in Warri. The position of the Ijaw ethnic nationality was contained in a communiqué signed by Hon. Denbo-Denbofa Oweikpodor, Chief M. Keme, and Comrade Moses Fiyebor shortly after a press briefing held on Saturday in Warri.
According to the group, stakeholders should learn from the events that led to the Warri crisis between 1997 and 2003, which they said followed the relocation of the Headquarters of Warri South-West Local Government Area from Ogbe-Ijoh, an Ijaw community, to Igidigben, an Itsekiri community. They cautioned that any attempt by the First Lady and former senator, Daisy Danjuma, to influence or reverse the delineation exercise could create fresh tension and destabilise the peace in Warri.
The group also rejected claims that the Ijaw people are not part of Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, insisting that the issue was never raised during stakeholders’ engagements with INEC. “We the Ijaw people of Warri South welcome the final report of the fresh delineation exercise released by INEC to stakeholders in Asaba on May 20, 2026,” the communiqué stated.
“The INEC final report to a very large extent reflects the reality on ground, and we commend the commission for doing a thorough job. We also accept the delineation of the Ijaw electoral wards and registration areas into Warri South Constituency II of the Delta State House of Assembly.” the communique added. The Ijaw leaders further alleged that since the emergence of Bola Tinubu as President of Nigeria, some Itsekiri stakeholders had allegedly used the influence of the First Lady against the interests of the Ijaw people in Warri.
On the controversy surrounding the inclusion of Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South Local Government Area, the group maintained that the matter was addressed during meetings between INEC officials and representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities held in Warri and Asaba in 2024.
They group said: “In the first place and with specific reference to Supreme Court ordered delineation, the issue of whether the Ijaw(Ogbe- Ijoh) people are part of Warri South Local Government Area or not was not raised at stakeholders meeting held 21st day of March 2024 at Asaba by Itsekiri, reflected in the minutes of the said meeting and it was dealt with in the meeting of INEC national leadership with focal persons of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo at the Government House Annex, Warri, Delta State on the 8th day of July,2024 prior to the assignment of field workers to the respective settlement within Warri LGA.”
They explained that the current delineation exercise followed years of agitation by the Ijaw people over what they described as the balkanisation of their homogeneous electoral wards since 1976. According to them, areas previously delineated as Alder’s Town B3, Ogbe-Ijoh C1, Ogbe-Ijoh C2, and Government Area F1 were visited by INEC field officers between July 10 and July 19, 2024, and were subsequently delineated into Bulou-Ama Ward 02, Ewein Ward 07, Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban Ward 12, and parts of GRA Ward 08.
While commending INEC at both the national and local levels for what they described as a fair and transparent exercise, the Ijaw leaders argued that their population and communities justified the creation of at least five homogeneous electoral wards in Warri South Local Government Area.
They therefore called for the creation of additional electoral wards and a separate state constituency for the Ijaw people in Warri South LGA. The group also urged INEC to disregard what it described as frivolous protests against the delineation exercise by the Itsekiri ethnic nationality.