The Itsekiri Progress Club (IPC), an assembly of prominent Itsekiri sons and daughters, has enjoined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to avert any outbreak of crisis in Delta State by implementing a Federal High Court judgment in Warri South Local Government Area, ordering it to revert to the original 10 ward political structures in the local government.
A statement signed by the Chairman, Dr. Tosan Popo, a retired Permanent Secretary, and the Publicity Secretary, Chief Solomon Arenyeka, said the continued delay of the electoral body to comply with the court judgment in suit No: FHC/B/109/97 was worrisome, adding that the judgment was clear that the delineation of wards in the local government area from 10 to 12 was in breach of the constitution.
The prominent Itsekiri group recalled that the electoral body lost at the appeal court when it challenged the judgment of the trial court, adding that the judgment of the Federal High Court has not been upturned till date, thus making it compelling for INEC to comply with it.
Continuing, the group alleged that the refusal of the Prof Yakubu Mahmood led INEC to implement the order to reverse to 10 ward structures in Warri South had continued to rob the Itsekiri ethnic nationality of their political strength.
“It is an attempt to politically decapitate and or displace the Itsekiri people from their aboriginal homeland. IPC condemns in strong terms this act from the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) under the Chairmanship of Prof Mahmood Yakubu.”,
The group also expressed surprise with the haste on the part of INEC to want to implement a recent Supreme Court judgment ordering it to delineate fresh wards in the Warri federal constituencies made up of Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South West when it had been reluctant to comply with a subsisting Federal High Court judgment that asked it to revert to 10 ward structures in Warri South Local Government Area delivered about two decades ago.
“As a sociopolitical group, we are strongly worried about recent developments in Warri kingdom, especially the proposed ward delineation of Warri South LGA following the recent judgment by the Supreme Court of Nigeria ordering INEC to carry out fresh ward delineations in the three Warris. While the club is not against the ruling but rather questions INEC’s selective implementation of court judgments.
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“Meanwhile, judgment that was barely a year ago, INEC has almost concluded plans to commence delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency. The critical question to INEC, which ward structure is INEC using for the delineation, the authentic 10 wards or the illegal 12 wards?
The leadership of the group is irked by the selective implementation of court judgments in Warri South LGA”.
It further enjoined the electoral body to shun every temptation to submit itself to manipulations by any ethnic group in the Warri federal constituency.
“Therefore, the Itsekiri Progress Club (IPC) calls on the truly Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) not to allow any ethnic group(s) hoodwink them into making pivotal blunders that could terminate the relative peace enjoyed in the oil city of Warri after the ill-fated Warri crisis.
“We wish to warn INEC that we cannot guarantee the reaction of our people because of the proposed selective implementation of Court judgment.”
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