RismadarVoice Reporters
May 11, 2026
A group of Ijaw protesters from Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State on Monday staged a demonstration at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja, demanding the implementation of a Supreme Court-backed ward delineation report for the area.
The protesters, operating under the banner Operation Rescue Ijaw Nation Crusaders, said they were returning to the commission after an earlier visit where they were assured of action that has yet to materialise.
They warned that continued delay in addressing the issue could threaten the conduct of elections in Warri Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during the protest, Deputy Coordinator of the group, Freeborn Abraye, said the delegation was at INEC to press for compliance with a Supreme Court judgment ordering a fresh delineation exercise in the constituency.
He said the group had previously engaged the electoral body, which promised to respond positively, but noted that no implementation had followed more than a year later.
According to him, the Supreme Court directed INEC to carry out a new ward delineation following concerns over alleged political imbalance among the Ijaw, Urhobo, and Itsekiri ethnic groups in the area.
Abraye alleged that the delay in implementing the report was worsening tensions in the constituency and raising concerns about fairness and representation.
He also accused the commission of contributing to voter exclusion in the area, claiming that recent Continuous Voter Registration exercises had not adequately covered affected communities.
Another protest leader, Ellington Bakumor, insisted that the delineation exercise had been conducted with the involvement of all stakeholders and questioned the delay in releasing and implementing the final report.
He warned that failure to act on the matter could jeopardise peaceful elections in the constituency.
The protesters submitted a petition to INEC, referencing a Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022, which they said ordered a fresh and constitutionally compliant delineation of wards and polling units in Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West Local Government Areas.
They further demanded that INEC release, gazette, and implement the report, and suspend all electoral activities in the constituency until the process is completed.
Responding on behalf of the commission, an Assistant Director of Security, Mohammed Ahmad, assured the protesters that their petition would be delivered to the appropriate authorities, noting that the INEC Chairman and national commissioners were away on official duty.
He assured that the commission would review their concerns and provide a response in due course.
