Angry Itsekiri Youths Storm The Streets Of Warri To Accuse INEC Of Fraudulent Ward Delineation Report

Aggrieved Itsekiri youths have stormed the streets of Warri to engage in a peaceful but passionate protest against a “dubious and politically motivated” ward delineation report recently submitted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The protest that involved hundreds of angry youths started at the prestigious Warri Club in the GRA area of Okere Community. From that point, the demonstrators marched in a show of unity through Miller Waterside near the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to Ugbuwangwe, before finally converging at Angle Park.

With placards that read, “INEC Stop the Disenfranchisement,” “Our Wards, Our Voice,” and “Justice for Itsekiri People,” the youths spoke against what they described as a plan to marginalise the Itsekiri ethnic group via the manipulation of electoral boundaries.

According to the leaders of several Itsekiri youth bodies, the delineation report submitted by INEC is a glaring misrepresentation of the demographic realities and traditional structures of the Itsekiri homeland.

They unanimously accuse certain political figures of collaborating with INEC officials to tweak ward boundaries in a way that favours other groups, while taking undue advantage of the indigenous Itsekiri people.

According to them, they will no longer remain quiet while their rights are rubbished before their very eyes, hence the decision to come out in their numbers to demand justice.

The leaders maintained that their identity, future and political relevance were all attacked with the dubious report, and the youths of the region do not intend to take that lightly.

“We are out here today because we can no longer stay silent while our rights are being trampled upon. The so-called delineation report is not only unjust but a direct attack on our identity, our political relevance, and our future,” one protest leader said while speaking to fellow protesters at Angle Park.

The peaceful protest was closely monitored by security operatives who made sure that the march remained orderly and without any form of violence or commotion.

Community leaders and worried stakeholders have urged INEC to urgently review the ward delineation exercise in Warri to make sure that it is transparent beyond all reasonable doubt, while adhering to constitutional guidelines.

The protest underlines a key moment in the ongoing agitation by the Itsekiri people for fair representation and justice within the democratic framework of Nigeria.