The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has urged the federal government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the international community to resist any attempt by ethnic or traditional interests to obstruct the Supreme Court-backed delineation process in Warri Federal Constituency.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Nicholas Igarama; Secretary, Ebi Olowolayemo Esq.; and Information Officer, Tare Magbei, the IYC accused certain Itsekiri elites and political figures of exerting pressure on INEC to delay the release of the delineation report.
The group described the move as “ethnic blackmail” and a “betrayal of justice.”
“No crown, no title, no tribe has the right to block constitutional justice,” the IYC declared.
“This is not about ethnicity; it is about democracy. INEC must release the delineation report without fear or favour.”
Citing the Supreme Court’s judgment in *Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023)*, the group maintained that INEC is constitutionally bound to complete and publish the ward delineation based on population spread and equitable representation.
“The truth is not tribal. The Constitution is not ceremonial. The map of Warri must reflect its real people, not the fantasies of those hiding behind a throne created in 1952,” the statement added.
The IYC alleged that while all ethnic groups participated in public hearings and data collection exercises, opposition only emerged after the outcome appeared to challenge the existing power structure.
Backing their demand with references to historical legal victories and colonial documents, including Shell v. Tiebo VII (1996) and British Colonial Office Files (1952, 1936), the IYC said the process must be respected.
They warned that continued delay by INEC could inflame tensions in the Niger Delta, recalling the violent ethnic clashes in Warri in 1997 and 2003.
“You were not part of the process. You were not part of the pain. And you will not be allowed to hijack the justice we have lawfully pursued,” the group warned.
“Delay is not neutrality; it is complicity. INEC’s silence is fueling suspicion and tension. If conflict erupts, the Commission will be seen as the chief enabler. We are peace-loving, but not powerless. We are patient, but not forgetful.”
The statement further demanded, “INEC immediately release the final ward delineation report as ordered by the Supreme Court in Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023).
“We demand that no ethnic group, traditional title or political figure, elected or unelected, be allowed to override the rule of law through threats, manipulation or historical fraud.
“We demand that the Nigerian state stop enabling a minority ethnic oligarchy to dominate territories where they are neither the owners nor the majority.
“We demand respect for the ancestral lands of the Ijaw peoples, the protection of democracy in Warri, not as a slogan but as a living, breathing reality reflected in ward boundaries, polling units and electoral justice.”
The letter was copied to several national and international institutions, including the Presidency, INEC Chairman, Chief Justice of Nigeria, European Union, United Nations, African Union, DSS, NBA, NHRC, and civil society groups, implored that justice should not be “sacrificed on the altar of tribal appeasement.”
