INDIGENOUS IJAWS AND URHOBOS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF DELTA STATE
June 14, 2026
JOINT PRESS BRIEFING BY INDIGENOUS IJAW AND URHOBO LEADERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF DELTA STATE ON THE MEETING OF STAKEHOLDERS WITH PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THURSDAY, THE 11 TH DAY OF JUNE, 2026 AT THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA.
Protocols
Gentlemen of the Press would recall that on the 20 th day of May, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , released the report of the Supreme Court ordered fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State to stakeholders at Asaba.
The Commission created Twenty (20) Registration Areas/Electoral Wards in Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West Local Government Areas of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
It also created additional state constituencies for Warri North and Warri South West Local Government Areas and recommended the creation of additional Warri Federal Constituency 11 to cover Warri North and Warri South West Local Government Areas, while Warri South would be covered by Warri Federal Constituency 1.
INEC also promised to immediately direct political parties to conduct primaries to nominate candidates to contest the 2027 general elections in the newly created state constituencies.
This decision was welcome and applauded by majority of the stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency and we the Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri expressed our acceptance of the decision in our press briefing on the 21 st of May, 2026 in this same venue.
However, after the announcement of the report by INEC, the implementation was halted by a Presidential Directive.
This gave rise to agitations by the Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri, calling for immediate implementation of the May 20, 2026 delineation report by INEC.
The agitations lead to peaceful protests by Ijaw and Urhobo Women, Youths and other Stakeholders across the Warri Federal Constituency and peaceful occupation of Oil and Gas Flow Stations and the blockade of the Escravos River.
These actions caught the attention of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR who in consultation with the Executive Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori called for an emergency meeting with stakeholders of the Warri Federal Constituency on Thursday, the 11 th day of June, 2026 at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting had in attendance the President and Commander-in-Chief, the Governor of Delta State, National Security Adviser, the Director of the Directorate of State Security Services, Chief of Staff to the President and representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The President at the meeting drawing inspiration from the National Anthem called on the Ijaws, Itsekiris and Urhobos of Warri to see themselves as brothers and sisters, though language and tough may differ. Mr. President called for accommodation and compromise by all the stakeholders in other to achieve sustainable peace in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
Specifically on the report of the Supreme Court ordered delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency presented by INEC on 20/5/2026, President Tinubu stated that, his consultation with the Governor of Delta State and other relevant government agencies is to the effect that, the problem was in the composition of Electoral Wards in Warri South West Local Government Area and that, there was need for re-adjustment of the INEC report of Electoral Wards created in Warri South-West Local Government as between the Ijaws and Itsekiris to a ratio of Eleven (11) to the Ijaws and 9 (Nine) to the Itsekiris.
The INEC report of 20 th May, 2026 on Registration Areas/Electoral Wards composition/structure for Warri North and Warri South Local Government Areas was not discussed and remained untouched.
President further directed that there should be Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on power sharing and rotation in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State. In this respect, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and two representatives each from Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo were directed to draft the Memorandum of Understanding on Power Sharing and Rotation in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
The directive of President Tinubu was accepted by representatives of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo Ethnic Nationalities, who thank the President for the timely and high-level intervention and promised to work with the NSA to come up with the MOU on Power Sharing/Rotation in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
Further to the directive of the President, the representatives of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State met with the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu with the Director of the State Security Services in attendance to dr…
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