The Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) has promised to handle considerations raised by Ijaw and Urhobo natives from Warri Federal Constituency, Delta State, over the delayed implementation of the Supreme Courtroom-ordered delineation of wards and polling items.
This was after protesters from the 2 ethnic nationalities stormed the fee’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, accusing INEC of utilizing an outdated ward association for the continuing Steady Voter Registration (CVR) in Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West councils.
The demonstrators, welding placards with totally different inscriptions, demanded the rapid launch and implementation of the Supreme Courtroom-ordered delineation of wards and polling items within the constituency.
INEC had on April 5 introduced the report on the delineation of wards and polling items in Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State to the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities.
The contemporary ward and polling unit delineation fieldwork was prompted by the Supreme Courtroom judgment of 2022, which had ordered INEC to conduct the train.
The delineation report, introduced in Asaba, allotted new wards throughout the three native governments within the Warri Federal Constituency.
In accordance with the newest delineation fieldwork report for Warri North Native Authorities Space, the Ijaw have 10 of the 18 wards, whereas the Itsekiri have eight wards; in Warri South-West, the Ijaw maintain 15 wards in comparison with the Itsekiri’s 4; and in Warri South, the Ijaw have three of the 20 wards, whereas the Itsekiri and Urhobo have eight and 9 wards respectively.
Talking on behalf of the protesters, Chief David Reje, accused INEC of conducting the continuing Steady Voter Registration (CVR) train in Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West councils utilizing an outdated and defunct association.
He mentioned this growth undermines their constitutional rights and the apex court docket’s judgment.
The protesters alleged that their endurance was being exploited to disenfranchise them forward of future elections.
Reje mentioned: “We’re totally abreast with the authorized makes an attempt and undue influences from varied quarters to derail or truncate the method. It was your resilience and resolved willpower that made it doable for the proposed registration space (RA) /wards and items to be publicly introduced.
“A braveness we salute and won’t ever take as a right. It’s this shared willpower and resolve to do the fitting factor that has saved us patiently for the previous 5 months, hoping that you’ll conclude the method earlier than commencing a future electoral course of by the instrumentality of the continuing Voter’s Registration train within the Warri Federal Constituency, which is an affront to the judiciary.
“We have been invited to numerous stakeholders’ conferences by your electoral officers in Warri North, Warri South and Warri South-West Native Authorities Space, informing us that you’ve commenced the continual Voter’s Registration (CVR) train within the aforementioned LGA utilizing the defunct association which fell face down within the eyes of the regulation.
“Our endurance and cooperation are being taken as a right, as you’ve got set equipment in place to disfranchise us from taking part in future elections. We are able to not wait whereas our democratic rights, assured by the Structure and reaffirmed by the Supreme Courtroom judgment, are being eroded.
“We determined to journey from Warri Federal constituency to attract your consideration to our plight and to let you realize that we are going to not enable any establishments or exterior influences and pressures to permit our inalienable rights to be petered away by these bent on inflicting confusion in Warri Federal Consistuency, Niger Delta Area and by extension Nigeria.
He vowed that they might proceed to occupy the premises of INEC till their elementary human rights to vote and be voted for are restored, including that they want a “clear path and data on the place and the way we must always take part within the ongoing train.”
“This journey and protest indicators part two of our dedication to nonviolently restore our political dignity. As you may observe from the sequence of press appearances and protests on this concern, we’ve been positioned on constant stress from our folks, which we could not be capable of include sooner or later.
“INEC ought to instantly launch and implement the report painstakingly embarked upon by stakeholders. We will not be idly standing by and watch our democratic rights and franchise fretted away”, he added.
Addressing the protesters, INEC Nationwide Commissioner Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru assured them that the fee would tackle their considerations in accordance with the regulation.
“I’ve listened rigorously, and I’ll tender this doc to the fee. There isn’t a intention in any respect to disenfranchise anyone from any democratic train.
“It’s our accountability, it’s our responsibility to make sure that each Nigerian is given the fitting to take part. If we don’t be sure that each Nigerian participates in each exercise, then we’re failing in our responsibility, and we won’t accomplish that.
“That’s an assurance. I’m positive we’ll get again to you. However be assured that we are going to not do something to disenfranchise you,” he mentioned.
