Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is fuelling crisis in Warri Federal Constituency by embarking on continuous voters’ registration exercise against a Supreme Court judgement.
In a statement by its spokesman, Binebia Princewill, IYC said the Supreme Court, in a judgement in 2022, had voided previous wards and units in the constituency, and so INEC had no locus standi to proceed with its continuous voter registration exercise.
It added that the reports emanating from officials of INEC and the commission itself seemed to be shrouded in a veil of confusion.
IYC stated, “On one hand, it is reported that the commission has suspended the Warri Federal Constituency ward delineation exercise and transferred it to the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
“On the other hand, INEC has issued another statement, a clarion call that seeks to misquote the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, and Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, on Monday, 29th September 2025, asserting that the commission has not suspended the delineation exercise.
“As a council, we are consumed by profound concern, and our collective curiosity is piqued, for we wonder if there exists no well-defined hierarchy within INEC that its officials would brazenly issue public statements with reckless abandon, only to retract them moments later.
“The Supreme Court, in its landmark judgement delivered on December 2, 2022, declared the current delineation in Warri Federal Constituency is fraudulent, non-existent, and unrepresentative of the constituency’s population.”
IYC warned that the body will resist the delay tactics employed by INEC in implementing its draft report, adding that the intentional delay and extension of the continuous voter registration exercise to Warri Federal Constituency are nothing short of contempt of court and an affront to the Nigerian judiciary, in particular.
“If INEC led by Mahmood Yakubu cannot fix an issue with a legal backing in just one Federal Constituency in Nigeria, what then will be the hope of Nigerians putting their trust in a credible election in Nigeria by the same INEC?”, the statement added.
IYC warned the federal government to avoid throwing the country into another form of unrest on account of INEC’s refusal to obey court order.
Olusegun Samuel and Sylvester Idowu
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