Picking and Choosing Court Judgements To Implement May Cause Anarchy in Warri -Olu of Warri

…As Itsekiri youths stage peaceful protest 

His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri has cautioned against selective enforcement of court judgements in the Warri Federal Constituency ahead of the planned commencement of implementation of a Supreme Court judgement on fresh delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Warri monarch stated this at an INEC stakeholders’ meeting called to officially inform the ethnic groups in Warri Federal Constituency of the commencement of fresh ward delineation exercise scheduled for Wednesday July 10, 2024 across Warri South, Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Areas of Delta State. 

But in his reaction, the Olu of Warri who was represented by Chief Engr. Dr. Wilson Olley, the Aboludero of Warri Kingdom expressed displeasure over what he described as INEC’s track record of “disrespecting court judgements and being unfair to the Itsekiri people” by selecting to implement one court judgement over the other. 

He however advised INEC to implement the 2003 High Court judgement so that Commission can be seen as an unbiased umpire that they ought to be.

He said, “the Itsekiri nation is concerned with the Warri South area of your exercise because there is a subsisting court judgement delivered by Justice Ibrahim Auta (rtrd.) of the Federal High Court asking INEC to revert to 10 Ward Structure in Warri South as against the illegal 12 Ward structure currently in place. INEC took an appeal but lost woefully”.

On their parts, both the Ijaw and Urhobo stakeholders expressed readiness for the delineation exercise.

Meanwhile outside the premises of the venue, scores of Itsekiri youths under the aegis of the Itsekiri National Youths Council (INYC) carried placards protesting against the planned delineation exercise alleging outside influence from both their Ijaw and Urhobo neighbors. The youths however were “appealed to INEC to wait for a federal ward delineation before embarking on the exercise in the three Warris.”

But Chief Omolubi Newuwumi, former commissioner of Delta state speaking to journalists during the protest believed that the Itsekiri are being oppressed.

He said, “If we allow INEC to go on with this exercise, it means the exercise will be coordinated on illegal wards. INEC is claiming that they’re obeying court ruling. But there’s been a ruling since 2003 which they had not obeyed. Why the selection of which judgement to obey?

“That’s why we Itsekiri felt oppressed. We don’t want to start building on illegality. They should first reverse the Warri South 12 wards to 10 wards so that the delimitation exercise can take off from that 10 wards rather than 12 wards.

“If they refused to listen to us, then INEC wants us to start defending ourselves like the Israelites and that means that one day we’d come back and correct the injustice.”

Senator Joel Onowakpo (represented), Hon. (Chief) Thomas Ereyitomi, member, FHRs, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, Speaker Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Augustine Uroye (Warri South I), Hon. Benson Obire (Warri South II), Hon Fred Martins (Warri North), Dr. Baba Bilal, Hon. Nat. Commissioner, Supervising Adamawa, Gombe and Taraba and Sir Etekamba Udo Umoren, Delta REC and Hon. (Chief) JFK Omatsone, former Speaker Delta State amongst others attended the meeting.