Delineation Controversy: Ogbe-Ijoh Oil Producing Communities Reject INEC's Two Wards, Vows to Disrupt Oil Operations in Delta
By Ezekiel Kagbala
The leaders of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom Oil Producing Communities in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State have rejected the two Wards assigned to theme by the Independent National Electral Commission, INEC, accusing the National Commissioners of bias and misrepresenting them
In a press statement jointly signed by Deacon Clement Tekedor, Chief Samson Oyimi, Emmanuel Kusimi, and Hon. Johnbull Aniyanghan on behalf of the Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom Oil Producing Communities, copies of which were made available to news men in Warri, the leaders called for the immediate intervention from the federal government and other stakeholders as they demanded a review of the delineation process for Ogbe-Ijoh to get their rightful number of Wards.
The leaders maintained that oil-rich Ogbe-ijoh Warri kingdom which hosts some of the nation’s critical petroleum assets was manipulated by INEC representatives in the fresh delineation process mandated by the Supreme Court for Warri Federal Constituency.
The communities, which plays host to key oil installations such as Ajuju/Batan, Odidi I & II, Egwa II fields, Ikeremor manifold, and the Ugbanabubou field, expressed disappointment that despite their earlier appeals on July 7, no action has been taken to correct the “glaring injustice” in the allocation of electoral wards.
According to their statement, "INEC’s current proposal gives Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom just two (2) out of the nineteen (19) electoral wards in the LGA—despite accounting for an estimated 40% of the entire population and landmass, based on official National Population Commission (NPC) data and INEC’s own field report from July 2024.
“We are shocked that three National Commissioners, who neither participated in the fieldwork nor have firsthand knowledge of the area, are unilaterally imposing a distorted delineation plan that blatantly favors some ethnic groups with lower populations,” the community leaders said.
They allege that these Commissioners have not only refused to rely on credible data but have also engaged in what they described as “tactical intimidation” of INEC staff who were part of the actual field exercise—threatening them with transfers, dismissal, and punitive sanctions. They also claim that fictitious settlements have been inserted in the records to artificially inflate figures in favor of certain groups.
“It is even more troubling that this fresh delineation, ordered by the Supreme Court to address historical injustice, is being carried out in a manner worse than the status quo. What is the purpose of judicial intervention if INEC officials will undermine it for political interests?” the leaders asked.
The communities have now issued a direct call to the INEC Chairman to: Immediately remove the identified National Commissioners from further participation in the Warri Federal Constituency delineation process.
Ensure the process is guided by verifiable population data from the NPC and INEC’s own field reports—not doctored figures or manipulated lists.
Transfer the responsibility of reviewing public complaints on the interim delineation report to neutral INEC officials untainted by local interests.
In a stern warning, they noted that failure to correct the ongoing injustice could have dire consequences, including disruption to the oil operations within Ogbe-Ijoh territory.
They called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser to closely monitor the situation and hold the responsible INEC officials accountable for any unrest or economic impact resulting from the crisis.
“The world is watching. The integrity of Nigeria’s democracy is at stake, and we will not sit idle while our people are systematically sidelined in their own land,” the leaders said.
