A storm erupted in the Senate on Wednesday over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) delineation of Warri Federal Constituency, with two Delta State senators at the centre of a tense confrontation.
The uproar began during a motion by Senator Simon Lalong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, who urged the Senate to intervene following a petition from the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality.
Lalong contended that INEC’s exercise unfairly reduced the number of wards in Itsekiri areas while favouring two Ijaw communities. He also claimed that some communities included in INEC’s coordinates strayed beyond Delta State, encroaching into Edo and Ondo States.
“Based on the strength of this petition, I call on the Senate to thoroughly investigate the delineation exercise to avert what I consider an imminent political crisis,” Lalong said.
The motion, however, was met with immediate pushback from Senator Joel Onowakpor (APC, Delta South), who warned that the matter was already before the courts and cautioned that Senate intervention could infringe on INEC’s independent mandate. Senator Ede Dafinone, also from Delta State, backed Onowakpor’s position.
Tensions flared further when Lalong referenced a letter from the Presidency while attempting to clarify his points. Onowakpor reacted sharply, accusing Lalong of having a personal interest in the controversy.
Despite the heated exchange, the Senate settled on a compromise: the matter will be referred to a joint committee comprising the Judiciary, Electoral Matters, and Special Duties committees. The committee has four weeks to conduct a comprehensive investigation and report back to the plenary.
Observers described the decision as a careful balancing act—acknowledging the Senate’s oversight role, respecting INEC’s statutory independence, and addressing the concerns of the Itsekiri community and other stakeholders.