OPEN LETTER TO THE SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, CALL TO REJECT THE PETITION AND MOTION BEFORE THE SENATE ON INEC’S WARD DELINEATION IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY AND TO UPHOLD THE SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT -

By Uche Alvin

OPEN LETTER TO THE SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
A CALL TO REJECT THE PETITION AND MOTION BEFORE THE SENATE ON INEC’S WARD DELINEATION IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY AND TO UPHOLD THE SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT

Your Excellency,
Distinguished Senate President and Honourable Members of the Senate,

We write to you as Concerned Stakeholders of the Warri Federal Constituency who believes in the sanctity of the rule of law, the independence of our institutions and the future of our democracy.
Today, we call on the Senate to rise above politics and reject the purported petition and motion seeking to halt or question the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ward delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.

This is not just an administrative issue. It is a constitutional matter, already settled by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Hon. George Timinimi & Others v. INEC (SC.413/2016). The judgment of the Supreme Court is not a suggestion; it is binding and final under Section 287(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). INEC is legally bound to finalise this delineation and no authority, including the Senate can lawfully interfere with that process.
As the Court famously stated in Adegoke Motors Ltd v. Adesanya (1989) 3 NWLR (Pt.109) 250:
“We are final not because we are infallible; we are infallible because we are final.”

Therefore, any attempt to suspend, question, or investigate INEC’s delineation exercise would not only violate the principle of separation of powers but would also amount to contempt of court.
The Supreme Court’s decision is clear: no electoral process including voter registration or elections shall take place in Warri Federal Constituency until a lawful delineation of wards and polling units has been completed and implemented.
INEC has since concluded its fieldwork and is expected to release the final report. Yet, certain political interests, particularly the Itsekiri Nation, has been seeking to manipulate or delay this process through frivolous court cases, petitions and misinformation.

Your Excellency, this is where the Senate must demonstrate leadership and fairness. The National Assembly must not allow itself to be used to directly or indirectly as a tool for political or ethnic domination. Electoral delineation is not a legislative matter; it falls exclusively under INEC’s constitutional mandate.
The demographic and geographic realities in Warri Federal Constituency are well established:

In Warri South-West, the Ijaws constitute about 75% of the landmass and population, while the Itsekiri occupy only a small coastal strip.
In Warri North, the Ijaws make up around 65%, and while the Itsekiri occupy 35% of the landmass and population
In Warri South, the Urhobos form the majority, followed by the Itsekiris and Ijaws.
Yet, for decades, these facts have been distorted in ways that deny fair representation to the Ijaws and Urhobos of the Warri Federal Constituency. The Supreme Court judgment was intended to correct that injustice and bring balance and equity to our democratic map.

Your Excellency, the Senate has a historic opportunity to stand on the side of justice and constitutional order. We urge you to:

Reject the petition/Motion seeking to halt, delay or investigate INEC’s delineation work in Warri Federal Constituency.
Reaffirm the authority and finality of the Supreme Court’s judgment in Hon. George Timinimi & Others v. INEC (SC.413/2016).
ORDER INEC to immediately publish and implement its final delineation fieldwork report without further political interference.
This is not about tribe or party; it is about fairness, legality and the integrity of our democracy. The world is watching to see whether the Nigerian Senate will uphold the rule of law or yield to pressure from partisan and sectional interests.
If INEC is allowed to complete its work in peace, the Senate will have strengthened the nation’s faith in our democratic institutions and reinforced its image as a defender of justice. But if political interference prevails, it will cause unrest, crisis, mistrust, fuel division and erode public confidence ahead of future elections.

Your Excellency, the people of Warri Federal Constituency, Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo alike deserve justice and peace. Let the law take its course. Let INEC do its job. And let the Senate remain the guardian of Nigeria’s democracy and not a participant in its disruption.

Respectfully,

Chief Oweikeme Olotu

Chief Efemena Rukevwe
Concerned Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency.