Group Warns of Crisis If INEC Pushes with Proposed Warri Delineation

The Itsekiri Interest Group, a prominent pressure group based in Warri, has raised serious concerns over an alleged plot by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce a disputed ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency.

Describing the move as provocative, the group warned of dire consequences if the plan is implemented.

In a formal letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, the group accused the outgoing INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, of attempting to finalise the controversial delineation before leaving office.

“Our information indicates that the INEC chairman feels obliged to consummate his end of a criminal bargain made with the warlord before his final exit from office in a few days,” the letter stated.

The group alleges the report was produced under questionable circumstances, claiming it was influenced by an alliance between INEC officials and a local ethnic militia leader seeking to annex traditional Itsekiri lands.

Signed by the group’s Chairman, Gbubemi Awala, and Secretary, Temi Atake, the letter stressed that the proposed delineation poses a direct threat to regional peace and risks triggering renewed unrest.

The Itsekiri Interest Group called on the National Security Adviser and other relevant agencies to intervene urgently, warning that allowing the process to proceed unchecked could undermine national stability in the Niger Delta.

“The immediate consequences of such an action will be cataclysmic violence, which the nation can ill afford at this time”.

The situation remains tense as INEC has yet to respond and stakeholders await further developments.