Itsekiri Parties Accuse INEC of Disregarding Court Judgments Over Warri Delineation Meeting

A fresh controversy has emerged over the proposed stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the delineation of wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency, as parties of Itsekiri ethnic nationality have accused the electoral body of acting in contempt of Federal High Court judgments.

In a petition dated May 19, 2026, and addressed to the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Delta State, legal representatives of the Itsekiri parties, Robinson Ariyo & Co., protested the planned stakeholders’ meeting scheduled for May 20, 2026, describing it as a violation of the findings and decisions delivered by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, Warri Judicial Division.

The petition referenced seven suits relating to the controversial ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency, including cases instituted by Philip Ejeyi, Newman Kusimi, Benson Dubele, Clement Tekedor, Monday Keme, Westham Adehor, and Lucky Oromoni against INEC.

According to the solicitors, Justice Nganjiwa, in judgments delivered on May 15, 2026, ruled that the delineation report issued by INEC on April 4, 2026, remained merely a proposal and tentative in nature, pending consideration of complaints and inputs from stakeholders.

The court also reportedly held that legal actions seeking to halt the 2027 general elections were incompetent and constituted an abuse of court process.

The lawyers stated that the court found in favour of their clients in six of the seven cases, adding that the only exception was based on INEC’s representation before the court that the delineation report was still subject to stakeholders’ complaints and review.

The petitioners expressed outrage over what they described as “less than 24 hours’ notice” for the stakeholders’ meeting, arguing that such short notice was grossly inadequate for parties directly affected by the delineation process.

They further alleged that the delineation report contained “massive fraud,” including unresolved complaints that had yet to be addressed by the commission.

According to the petition, proceeding with the meeting without allowing parties sufficient time to study the court judgments and prepare their responses could undermine the spirit and intent of the Federal High Court’s decisions.

The solicitors also drew attention to a pending appeal and motion for stay of proceedings before the Court of Appeal in Abuja in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/456/2025 involving Chief Brown Oritseweyinmi Mene and others against INEC and 15 others.

They argued that any further action by INEC on the delineation process while the appeal and motion for stay remain pending could amount to an affront to the judicial process and an attempt to impose a fait accompli on affected parties.

The petition therefore demanded the immediate postponement of the May 20 stakeholders’ meeting pending the resolution of all legal issues surrounding the delineation exercise.

The lawyers also urged INEC to provide adequate notice for future engagements and to first obtain and study the certified copies of the Federal High Court judgments before embarking on further consultations or implementation processes.

They warned that their clients reserved the right to pursue further legal action if the protest and demands were ignored.

Copies of the petition were forwarded to the National Security Adviser, the Chairman of INEC, and counsel to the commission, Ibrahim Sani Mohammed, Esq.