Supreme Court Judgment, didn’t order INEC to conduct delineation tainted with fraud – UIY

Ugbarajo Itsekiri Youths, UIY, has joined the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILOT, in rejecting INEC’s new proposal on the delineation of Warri Federal Constituency, saying the Supreme Court in Hon. George Timinimi &Ors vs. Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, (SC. 413/2016) did not order INEC to conduct delineation exercise that is tainted with fraud and corrupt practices.

The prominent Itsekiri youth body, in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta State, Thursday May 21, posited that the INEC new proposals on the delineation exercise on the Warri Federal Constituency, which was presented to Stakeholders during a meeting held at the INEC Secretariat, Asaba, Wednesday May 20, “is a continuation of the illegalities and fraudulent practices that the Itsekiri Nation have been complaining about in the light of the delineation of Warri Federal Constituency.”

In the statement signed by the President, Comr. Okotie Joseph, Secretary-General, Comr. Jolomi Jakpah and Legal Advisor, Barr. Onesiosan S. Ogholaja, Ugbarajo Itsekiri Youths, opined that the delineation exercise, was conducted in such a way that betrayed the neutrality of INEC and its sacred responsibility of being just and fair to all Nigerians.

According to UIY, the new report betrays the principles of electoral honesty, transparency, neutrality of INEC, fairness and can best be described as ‘a electoral fraud that is orchestrated by a State Actor to deprive the Itsekiri People of their electoral relevance’.

Whilst acknowledging that INEC is constitutionally empowered to delineate the Country into Constituencies, Wards and Units as provided under Sections 112- 115 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) the Itsekiri youth leadership, asserted: “Such a delineation exercise must be in accordance with existing administrative divisions, historical and Geographical factors- INEC new proposal on the delineation of Warri federal Constituency did not take account any of these factors, these explains the reasons why INEC created more electoral Wards for the Ijaws and the Urhobo in Warri South West, Warri North and Warri South Local Government Areas of Delta State.”

They declared: “We reject the INEC new proposal on the grounds that INEC failed to take into account the complaints and observations of the Itsekiri Nation that have been copiously made to INEC, INEC Proposal created wards and polling units using invented Communities such as Bolouma and Ewein in Warri South, which have no historical record or existence, the Court in suit No. W/148/56 between Chief Izoukumo Olioki & 5 Ors( for themselves and on behalf of the Ogbe-Ijoh People Vs. Itsekiri Communal Land Trustees and Chief Sam Warri Esi (for himself and on behalf of the Agbassa and the Igbudu People) and in a plethora of other cases held that the Ijaws have no legal rights in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State. What is the legal foundation upon which INEC relied on to create Bolouma and Ewein polling units in Warri South? Communities outside Warri federal Constituency including Udu, Burutu, Ughelli South, Aragbo (Ondo State) were erroneously included in the delineation. Certain units such as Jimmygbene point via coordinates to Ebrohimi ( an Itsekiri Community) was falsely entered as Ijaw Settlements.

“INEC failed to use the last official population census (2006) or the existing Voters register as the basis for ward delineation, Itsekiri Ward were premeditated merged and reduced while Gbaramatu (Ijaw) was increased to 9 wards despite being riverine and sparsely populated, INEC fraudulently used open Rivers and forest as ward locations, the usage of Persons from Ijaw extractions to chair and conduct the delineation exercise in the Warri federal Constituency and the established fact of manufactured data and figure, which substantially marred the whole delineation exercise with fraud.

“It is incontrovertible that the INEC delineation exercise as reflected in it doomed new proposal is a stentorian breach of Section 9(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.

“We will legally resist any attempt to annex Itsekiri Nation Land, in our righteous might, we shall continue to defend the electoral integrity of Warri Kingdom and protect our land from all electoral fraud and malpractices even from State Actors like INEC.”

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