{"id":4751,"date":"2025-08-28T18:25:38","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T18:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/huriwa-backs-ijaw-urhobos-protest-against-inecs-contempt-of-supreme-court-order-over-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report-promises-to-join-ijaws-urhobos-to-take-legal-act\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T18:28:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T18:28:48","slug":"huriwa-backs-ijaw-urhobos-protest-against-inecs-contempt-of-supreme-court-order-over-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report-promises-to-join-ijaws-urhobos-to-take-legal-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/huriwa-backs-ijaw-urhobos-protest-against-inecs-contempt-of-supreme-court-order-over-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report-promises-to-join-ijaws-urhobos-to-take-legal-act\/","title":{"rendered":"HURIWA Backs Ijaw, Urhobo\u2019s Protest Against INEC\u2019s Contempt Of Supreme Court Order Over Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report, Promises To Join Ijaws, Urhobos To Take Legal Actions Against INEC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By Uche Alvin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has thrown its weight behind the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri Federal Constituency, strongly condemning what it described as the deliberate and illegal attempts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to subvert the Supreme Court\u2019s clear and binding judgement on the fresh delineation of electoral wards and units in the constituency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a statement issued in Abuja, the civil rights advocacy group said it fully aligns with the grievances raised by the Ijaw and Urhobo communities at their world press conference, stressing that INEC\u2019s current actions amount to outright contempt of court, a mockery of the rule of law, and a calculated assault on democracy. HURIWA argued that the refusal or failure of the electoral body to implement the Supreme Court\u2019s judgement of December 2, 2022, is not only reckless but a dangerous signal of institutional lawlessness that undermines the integrity of Nigeria\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group recalled that the apex court, after carefully reviewing the history of gerrymandering and electoral manipulation in Warri Federal Constituency, ordered INEC to conduct a fresh delineation of all wards and polling units in Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North local government areas. The judgement arose from long-standing complaints of fictitious wards, inequitable distribution of polling units, and gross irregularities that tilted the balance of representation against the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo people. HURIWA noted that the Supreme Court\u2019s order was clear and unambiguous: the old electoral structures stood void, and fresh delineation was the only legal basis for credible elections in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to HURIWA, it is criminal, unconstitutional, and contemptuous of INEC to proceed with the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Warri Federal Constituency without first concluding and publishing the delineation report mandated by the Supreme Court. The association reiterated the principle famously captured by Lord Denning in UAC vs McToy (1963) that \u201cyou cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand,\u201d insisting that any voter registration or electoral process carried out in Warri without fresh delineation is null and void.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The association reminded Nigerians that the history of Warri\u2019s electoral disputes dates back to the late 1990s when INEC itself, in its post-election assessment report of 1999, admitted to grave irregularities in the delineation process. INEC openly acknowledged that previous exercises did not follow relevant laws and guidelines and were skewed to serve selfish interests. It further admitted that in Warri South-West and other affected local government areas across Nigeria, delineation was either never properly done or was done fraudulently, thereby sowing the seeds of distrust and crises that erupted in Warri between 1997 and 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HURIWA lamented that more than two decades later, INEC appears unwilling to correct its past mistakes, thereby deepening the historical wounds of marginalisation and injustice against the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples. The group emphasised that the indigenous people of Warri have shown extraordinary patience by seeking judicial remedies rather than resorting to violence, and that INEC\u2019s disregard of the Supreme Court order is tantamount to provoking fresh tensions in a region that has paid a heavy price for peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The association noted that despite convening stakeholder meetings with representatives of the affected communities in 2023 and 2025, and even producing a draft report on the fresh delineation exercise, INEC has failed to publish or implement the final report. Instead, it has chosen to proceed with voter registration in a constituency where the legal framework for wards and polling units no longer exists. HURIWA described this as a deliberate conspiracy to disenfranchise indigenous groups, entrench electoral fraud, and undermine confidence in Nigeria\u2019s electoral process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Endorsing the demands made by the Ijaw and Urhobo people, HURIWA called on INEC to immediately release and implement the delineation report, warning that any further delay constitutes an affront to the Supreme Court and a grave violation of the democratic rights of Nigerians in Warri Federal Constituency. The group stressed that democracy cannot thrive where institutions established to protect it become complicit in lawlessness and electoral manipulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>HURIWA further urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the judiciary to compel INEC to obey the Supreme Court order without further delay. It cautioned that Nigeria cannot afford to build its electoral future on illegality, manipulation, and contempt of judicial authority. According to the association, to allow INEC to continue on its present path is to signal to the world that Nigeria has no respect for the sanctity of court orders, and that elections in the country are conducted on the whims of powerful interests rather than the rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The association also appealed to civil society organisations, religious leaders, the international community, and all advocates of democracy to rally behind the indigenous people of Warri in their quest for justice. HURIWA affirmed that the fight of the Ijaw and Urhobo people is not just local but a litmus test for Nigeria\u2019s democracy, because if INEC can brazenly ignore a Supreme Court order in Warri, it can do the same anywhere else in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Concluding, HURIWA declared that it will continue to monitor the situation closely and will not hesitate to join in mobilising public pressure and legal action to hold INEC accountable. The association maintained that obedience to court orders is the bedrock of democracy and justice, and anything less amounts to dictatorship and impunity under another name. It vowed that it stands shoulder to shoulder with the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples in their demand for justice, fairness, and equal representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko<\/em><br>National Coordinator,<br>Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)<br>August 27, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Uche Alvin The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has thrown its weight&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[1407,1409,1408,1410],"class_list":["post-4751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-huriwa-backs-ijaw","tag-promises-to-join-ijaws","tag-urhobo-protest-against-inecs-contempt-of-supreme-court-order-over-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report","tag-urhobos-to-take-legal-actions-against-inec"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_2200-2-1.jpg?fit=1002%2C825&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5499,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2026\/03\/01\/why-we-will-boycott-the-2027-elections-if-inec-fail-to-implement-the-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report___says-ijaw-urhobo-coalition-group\/","url_meta":{"origin":4751,"position":0},"title":"\u201cWhy We Will Boycott The 2027 Elections If INEC Fail To Implement The Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report\u201d___Says Ijaw, Urhobo Coalition Group","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"March 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ebiowei Gabriel Warri, Delta State______ A group under the auspices of Protectors Of Ijaw, Urhobo Heritage In Warri Federal Constituency, has made a strong worded press statement directed at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over what the it described as deliberate delay in the implementation of the Supreme\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4694-1.jpg?fit=539%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4694-1.jpg?fit=539%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4694-1.jpg?fit=539%2C550&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4984,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/11\/03\/re-inecs-contempt-of-court-order-and-ethnic-collaboration-in-warri-federal-constituency\/","url_meta":{"origin":4751,"position":1},"title":"RE: INEC\u2019s Contempt Of Court Order And Ethnic Collaboration In Warri Federal Constituency","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"November 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE NIGERIAN PUBLIC RE: INEC\u2019S CONTEMPT OF COURT AND ETHNIC COLLABORATION IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCYDate: 3\/11\/2025 A CRY AGAINST SILENCE: DEMOCRACY IS BLEEDING IN WARRI We, the Indigenous Stakeholders, Community Leaders and Defenders of Justice in Warri Federal Constituency, write\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4622.jpg?fit=461%2C323&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4793,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/re-the-shameful-falsehood-of-the-itsekiri-youths-elite-group-against-ijaws-and-urhobos-and-the-urgent-need-for-inec-to-publish-the-final-ward-delineation-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":4751,"position":2},"title":"Re: The Shameful Falsehood Of The Itsekiri Youths Elite Group Against Ijaws And Urhobos, And The Urgent Need For INEC To Publish The Final Ward Delineation Report","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"September 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u200eBy Esther David OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND INEC\u200e\u200eFROM: WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY DEFENDERS OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE\u200e\u200eRE: THE SHAMEFUL FALSEHOODS OF ITSEKIRI YOUTHS ELITES (IYE) AGAINST IJAW AND URHOBO PEOPLE AND THE URGENT NEED FOR INEC TO PUBLISH THE FINAL WARD DELINEATION RESULT\u200e\u200eDate: [10\/9\/2025]\u200e\u200eA Rotten Lie on National\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Crime&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Crime","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/crime\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2549-1.jpg?fit=711%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2549-1.jpg?fit=711%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2549-1.jpg?fit=711%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_2549-1.jpg?fit=711%2C784&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5010,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/11\/13\/open-letter-to-the-senate-of-the-federal-republic-of-nigeria-call-to-reject-the-petition-and-motion-before-the-senate-on-inecs-ward-delineation-in-warri-federal-constituency-and-to-uphold-th\/","url_meta":{"origin":4751,"position":3},"title":"OPEN LETTER TO THE SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, CALL TO REJECT THE PETITION AND MOTION BEFORE THE SENATE ON INEC\u2019S WARD DELINEATION IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY AND TO UPHOLD THE SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"November 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO THE SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIAA CALL TO REJECT THE PETITION AND MOTION BEFORE THE SENATE ON INEC\u2019S 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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4867-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4867-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4867-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4867-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4803,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/11\/ijaw-urhobo-coalition-group-boycott-inec-cvr-demand-implementation-of-supreme-court-ordered-ward-delineation-in-warri-federal-constituency\/","url_meta":{"origin":4751,"position":4},"title":"Ijaw, Urhobo Coalition Group Boycott INEC CVR, Demand Implementation Of Supreme Court Ordered Ward Delineation In Warri Federal Constituency","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"September 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David The Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic groups of Warri Federal Constituency have declared their boycott of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, demanding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must first implement the final report of the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of electoral wards and units\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Electoral&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Electoral","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/electoral\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/03d29e0c-8522-43df-a322-924a25fc6696-1.jpg?fit=810%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/03d29e0c-8522-43df-a322-924a25fc6696-1.jpg?fit=810%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/03d29e0c-8522-43df-a322-924a25fc6696-1.jpg?fit=810%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/03d29e0c-8522-43df-a322-924a25fc6696-1.jpg?fit=810%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4768,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/01\/this-tactical-delay-must-stop-announce-the-final-ward-delineation-report-for-warri-federal-constituency-now___group-blasts-inec\/","url_meta":{"origin":4751,"position":5},"title":"This Tactical Delay Must Stop: Announce The Final Ward Delineation Report For Warri Federal Constituency Now___Group Blasts INEC","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"September 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David OPEN LETTER TO INEC AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA RE: THIS TACTICAL DELAY MUST STOP: ANNOUNCE THE FINAL WARD DELINEATION RESULT FOR WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY NOW From: Concerned Ijaw & Urhobo Stakeholders of Warri Federal ConstituencyDate: [1\/9\/2025] When Truth is Delayed, Falsehood is Empowered We write\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 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