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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Tension flared in Abuja on Monday as angry youths from Warri Federal Constituency, Delta State, stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), threatening to shut down future elections over the delay in implementing the Supreme Court-backed ward delineation exercise.
The protesters accused INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, of deliberately frustrating the process despite the apex court judgment directing the commission to carry out the exercise.
Chanting solidarity songs and wielding placards with inscriptions such as “No Delineation, No Election” and “INEC Must Obey Supreme Court Judgment,” the aggrieved youths warned that Warri could erupt if the issue was not urgently resolved.
Speaking during the protest, youth leader, Comrade Ellington Bakumor, declared that the people were tired of what he described as endless delay tactics and political manipulation.
“We are not here to beg INEC again. The Supreme Court has spoken and INEC already carried out the delineation exercise in the presence of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo representatives.
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“Nobody complained until the report came out. Why is INEC now delaying the process? Why are they trying to disenfranchise our people?” he queried.
Bakumor accused the commission’s leadership of bias and warned that residents could no longer guarantee peaceful elections in the constituency if the delineation report was not released.
“Our patience has expired. This is the second time we are coming to Abuja and we may not come again.
“If INEC refuses to do the right thing, there will be serious consequences. We can no longer guarantee elections in Warri Federal Constituency,” he declared.
Also speaking, Secretary of the Ijaw Youth Council, Johnny Toms, insisted that the Supreme Court judgment must be obeyed without further delay.
“If there is no delineation, there will be no election in Warri,” he warned.
Responding on behalf of the commission, Assistant Director of Security at INEC, Mohammed Hamma, who received the protesters’ petition, said the chairman and national commissioners were away on official assignment but assured them their complaints would be forwarded appropriately.
“The chairman will definitely see this document. INEC is committed to ensuring that whatever issue exists will be addressed accordingly,” he said.
Despite the assurance, the protesters vowed to sustain pressure on the electoral body until the delineation report is fully implemented, warning that failure to act could trigger unrest in the oil-rich constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
