Members of the Itsekiri nationality on Monday occupied the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja to protest the 2025 polling unit delineation exercise conducted in Delta State.
The protest marks the third demonstration by the Itsekiri people at the commission’s headquarters this year over what they describe as the marginalisation of their ethnic group in the Warri Federal Constituency.
The demonstrators carried placards, sang solidarity songs in their local dialect, and called on INEC to revisit the delineation exercise, which they claim unfairly favoured other ethnic nationalities in the constituency.
READ ALSO: INEC Unveils Ward Delineation For Warri Federal Constituency
At the centre of the dispute is the redistribution of polling units and the creation of new wards in Warri Federal Constituency, an exercise the protesters alleged was skewed against the Itsekiri people.
The demonstrators insisted that the exercise should be reviewed to ensure fairness and equitable representation among the ethnic groups in the area.
Responding to the protesters, INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Zuru, assured them that the commission was already looking into the matter.
However, the protest was later disrupted by another group that confronted the demonstrators and asked them to allow INEC carry out its responsibilities without interference.
The controversy surrounding the delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency has persisted since the beginning of the year, triggering protests both in support of and against the exercise.
While members of the Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic nationalities have urged INEC to maintain the current arrangement, the Itsekiri people have continued to reject the exercise, alleging marginalisation and demanding a review of the delineation process.
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