“Your Silence Is A Betrayal Of Justice, Contempt Of Court Order” Says Rights Group, Charges INEC To Implement Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report Immediately -

By Uche Alvin

To the Chairman and Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),

We write with anger that your silence has manufactured. What began as patience has been overstretched. What began as cooperation has hardened into constitutional concern. The people of Warri did not obstruct your process. Communities opened their doors. Traditional institutions cooperated. Citizens engaged peacefully. Your officials came, walked the land, entered the creeks, verified settlements, captured coordinates, assessed demographic spread, compiled data and concluded the delineation exercise.

The work was done. The process was completed. The assignment was fulfilled.

The Supreme Court ordered a lawful delineation. Section 287(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes it binding that the decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced by all authorities and persons. Sections 71 to 76 and 112 to 116 further establish that constituency delineation must be grounded in population and geographical realities. These are not advisory clauses. They are constitutional imperatives.

Yet, after completing a court-ordered, constitutionally mandated exercise, you have chosen silence.

This is no longer administrative delay. It is institutional hesitation in a matter that requires firmness. When a constitutional exercise is concluded and its result withheld without explanation, the silence stops being procedural and begins to look political. The longer this result remains unpublished, the louder the suspicion becomes. Silence in such circumstances erodes confidence and weakens institutional credibility.

Warri Federal Constituency is not a political chessboard. It is home to communities whose representation depends on fairness and clarity. Electoral legitimacy does not begin on election day, it begins with accurate delineation. When the structural foundation of representation is withheld, every subsequent electoral activity rests on uncertainty.

An electoral commission exists to protect democracy from pressure, not to bend under it. Independence is not a slogan, it is demonstrated in moments when truth must be released despite discomfort. Institutions that hesitate in constitutional matters invite doubt about their autonomy.

Every passing day without publication deepens the wound. It communicates to citizens that lawful processes can be delayed indefinitely. It signals that constitutional compliance may depend on political convenience. That perception, whether intended or not, is dangerous in a democracy.

We are not ignorant of the sensitivities that surround Warri. We are not blind to political noise. But leadership is tested precisely when pressure mounts. History will not remember explanations whispered behind closed doors. It will remember whether INEC stood by the Constitution or retreated into silence.

Warri cannot remain suspended in uncertainty. Electoral preparation cannot continue under ambiguity. Communities deserve clarity. The Constitution demands compliance. The Supreme Court has spoken. The fieldwork has been completed. Nothing remains but publication.

We are not asking for favour. We are insisting on constitutional responsibility. We are not seeking advantage. We are demanding transparency.

Release the final ward delineation result.
Let constitutional order prevail.
Let trust be restored before it erodes beyond repair.
Let democracy breathe again in Warri.

Signed,

Chief Tiemopere Joshua ~ President

Chief Ebikeme T. Goodstime ~ Secretary

Concerned Indigenous Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency

Cc:
The President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

The National Security Adviser

The Chief Justice of Nigeria

The Senate President
The Speaker, House of Representatives

The Governor of Delta State

Civil Society and Democracy Observers

The Nigerian People