Rights Group Sends Open Letter To Federal Government, INEC, NSA, International Communities Over Attempts By Itsekiri Stakeholders To Distort, Suppress Delineation Report -

By Uche Alvin

OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, INEC, THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
RE: WARRI DELINEATION–THE DANGEROUS CAMPAIGN OF FRAUD, DISTORTION AND SUPPRESSION BY ITSEKIRI STAKEHOLDERS MUST BE RESISTED
By the Intellectual Thinkers Warri Federal Constituency

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Officials, and Global Partners in Justice.

This is not just a letter, it is a solemn appeal. A cry from the margins. A confrontation with history. A call for truth to prevail over deceit and for Nigeria’s institutions to rise above colonial leftovers and ethnic monopolies.

The ongoing campaign by certain Itsekiri elites to stall and discredit the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency is not only anti-democratic, it is fundamentally dishonest. It is a desperate last-ditch effort to maintain a false narrative of ownership, designed to marginalize the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples who are the true and original custodians of most parts of Warri.

On June 27, 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja dealt a decisive blow to this manipulation. In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/443/2024, the court dismissed the case brought by Hon. Appearance Afejuku and Mr. Emmanuel Nunu, both linked to the Itsekiri political establishment. Their attempt to stop the delineation was rejected, and they were ordered to pay ₦4 million in damages. This is not the first failed legal ambush. But instead of honoring the court’s decision, they have resorted to blackmail, misinformation and the cynical use of “peace” as a weapon to stall justice.

They now falsely claim the delineation will provoke unrest. But this is a smokescreen. What they truly fear is that the new delineation will reflect demographic reality, where the Ijaw and Urhobo communities hold majority population and not the distortions of a bygone colonial era when a minority was favored for loyalty to the British.

The historical records are unambiguous. The Ijaw communities of Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Diebiri, Isaba and Egbema are the aboriginal owners of most of the land in Warri Federal Constituency. This is not an emotional claim, it is backed by documented history.

In 1923, Itsekiri colonial agent Chief Dore Numa acknowledged in writing that he acquired land through lease from the Ogbe-Ijoh people, not through native title. The 1928 Warri Township Assessment Report noted that Ogbe-Ijoh was the foundational settlement of what became modern Warri Township. These records predate any centralized Itsekiri monarchy’s claim over Warri territory.

In law, the evidence is equally damning against the Itsekiri falsehoods. From the Supreme Court’s ruling in SC.413/2016 (Timinimi v. INEC), which ordered a full delineation before any further electoral activity in Warri, to W/53A/63 and C/S/2/58, where courts affirmed Ijaw ownership of Tsekelewu lands and declared the Itsekiris as customary tenants, the pattern is clear. Customary tenants do not own land, they occupy it with permission.

In CA/AS/4041/2016, the court threw out attempts by the Itsekiri monarch to annul the legal standing of Ijaw and Urhobo kings. In Wilikie v. Korukeme (WACC/651T/93), the court dismissed Itsekiri claims over Ogbe-Ijoh land. These are not isolated cases, they are consistent affirmations of historical and judicial truth.

Let us be clear, INEC is not a cultural body. It is not a custodian of ethnic supremacy. It is a constitutional institution mandated to reflect population realities and equal representation. Having completed its fieldwork in line with the Supreme Court’s directive, it must now release the final delineation report without delay. Any hesitation, especially due to political pressure or manipulated court rulings, is contempt of court and an assault on democracy.

Demographically, Warri South-West is Ijaw territory. Gbaramatu, Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba and Diebiri span the majority of the land and population. The Itsekiris occupy a narrow coastal stretch, yet historical gerrymandering gave them bloated representation. This injustice must end.

We call on INEC to stand firm, to publish the delineation report and to honor the court’s instruction and the democratic rights of the people. We call on the Presidency, the National Assembly and the National Security Adviser to ensure that national institutions are not hijacked by minority ethnic interests clinging to expired colonial privileges.

We urge the African Union, ECOWAS, the United Nations, and all international observers to recognize what is happening in Warri Federal Constituency, not as an internal political squabble but as a litmus test of whether Nigeria is ready to shed the ghosts of colonial favoritism and become a truly just and federal republic.

To remain silent now is to endorse oppression. To delay justice is to become complicit in ethnic sabotage. This is not just about politics, it is about who we are as a nation. Will Nigeria continue to reward historical fraud? Or will it finally allow truth to breathe?

The Ijaw and Urhobo peoples are not squatters. We are not tenants. We are the landlords who welcomed others in peace, only to be repaid with betrayal, distortion and exclusion. That era is over.

Let the delineation be published.

Let history be respected.

Let democracy win.

Signed,
Dr, Michelle Weno-owei,
Chairman,
The Intellectual Thinkers of Warri Federal Constituency