JUST IN: Niger Delta Advocacy Group Writes Open Letter To President Tinubu, INEC, NSA Over Delayed Implementation Of Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report, Calls For Immediate Implementation -

By Esther David

OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND INEC

BY: Defenders of Warri Federal Constituency Truth and Justice
Date: [10/9/2025]

Warri Is Not a Kingdom, It Is a City of Kingdoms. Announce the Final Delineation Result Now!

Warri is not a kingdom. It never was. It is far more than that. Warri is a city, a living city, an indigenous city and a melting pot of cultures built on the bloodlines, sovereignties and histories of three great nations: the Ijaw, the Urhobo and the Itsekiri. Yet for decades, lies have been told and for too long, propaganda has been spread to reduce Warri into the private estate of one throne. This narrative is not only false; it is an abomination against truth and a deliberate attempt to erase the identity of others.

The facts of history and law stand unshaken. Warri is a federal constituency with seven recognized kingdoms, each with its own monarch, territory and sovereignty, Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Egbema, Isaba, Okere-Urhobo, Agbarha and Itsekiri. The Delta State Traditional Rulers Law confirms that no monarch is supreme over the other. None is subordinate. Each is a custodian of his people and land. To call Warri a single kingdom is to spit on the graves of ancestors, to deny the living and to sow division where there should be truth.

The greatest distortion lies in the fraudulent use of the title “Olu of Warri.” That title was never originally so. It was “Olu of Itsekiri” until colonial fiat in 1952 fraudulently enlarged it. To wield that colonial error as a weapon today to claim ownership of Warri is criminal. The Itsekiri nation, though integral to Warri’s fabric, does not own Warri. They form less than one-third of the landmass and population. The larger territories and people belong to the Ijaw and Urhobo. Warri cannot and will not be monopolized by a false crown.

What makes this distortion more deadly is INEC’s deliberate silence. The Supreme Court in George Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023) ordered a fresh delineation. INEC obeyed, carried out the fieldwork, received petitions and produced results. Yet, till today, the result has been buried under silence. That silence is not neutrality, it is conspiracy. That delay is not administrative, it is injustice. By refusing to announce the final result, INEC violates the very spirit of our Constitution. Section 14(2)(a) makes clear that sovereignty belongs to the people. Section 14(2)(c) declares that participation of the people in government must be ensured. Section 36(1) guarantees fair hearing within a reasonable time. “Reasonable time” has expired. Justice delayed is justice denied.

Let it be known today that we will not tolerate slavery disguised as democracy. No one should imagine that they can smuggle the fraudulent formula of 6–4–0 into the final result. That is dead on arrival. We reject it totally. We will never accept any arrangement that reduces Ijaw and Urhobo to political captives. We repeat in loud voices: No final delineation, no continuous voter registration. INEC cannot register voters on injustice. The Federal Government cannot preside over fraud and expect peace.

We issue this as a word of warning. If INEC continues to dance to the tune of manipulators, they alone will bear the blame when the peace of Warri is broken. History has shown that injustice breeds resistance and resistance consumes those who plant injustice. Let it not be said that this government pushed the people into chaos by protecting a lie.

Warri is not a kingdom. It is a city of kingdoms. A city of peoples. A city of equals. And it belongs irrevocably to the Ijaw, the Urhobo and the Itsekiri. Any attempt to distort this truth is an attempt to destroy peace. The Federal Government must act now. INEC must announce the final delineation result now. The time of waiting has ended. The time of truth has come.

Signed,

Hon. Willman Kenebo
(Chairman)

Dr, Francis Onoge
(Secretary)

Defenders of Warri Federal Constituency Truth and Justice

Cc:
The Delta State Governor

The National Assembly

The National Security Adviser (NAS)

The Delta State House of Assembly

The International Community