There was tension in Delta State yesterday as protesting Itsekiris shut down a 28,000-barrel-per-day crude oil facility in Warri South-West Local Government Area, over the controversial ward delineation proposed for Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The affected facility, formerly operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and recently acquired by Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings, was taken over by peaceful protesters comprising men, women, and youths. The demonstrators stormed the facility with placards expressing their grievances against INEC’s proposed delineation, which they described as an act of “ethnic cleansing” by the Commission and its alleged collaborators.
Checks revealed that the protest may spread to other critical oil and gas installations in Itsekiri territory, potentially threatening a further drop in Nigeria’s daily crude oil output.
The aggrieved Itsekiri people are demanding that INEC withdraw the proposed delineation and carry out a proper process that acknowledges the historical and legitimate names of communities in Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North Local Government Areas.
INEC had on Friday unveiled the proposed new wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency, citing compliance with a Supreme Court judgment mandating a fresh delineation exercise. However, the Itsekiri Nation has strongly rejected the proposal.
Addressing the press on Sunday, Mr. Amorighoye Mene, Secretary of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, hinted at the possibility of legal action against INEC.
“We expected INEC to consider the voting strength of the various ethnic groups in the area — the Itsekiri, Urhobo, Ijaw, and other mixed-demographic communities — when delineating the wards and polling units,” Mene said.
“At the stakeholders meeting on Friday, INEC unveiled the proposed wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency. Though the meeting was supposedly for stakeholders, we were not allowed to speak or react during the unveiling. After reviewing the documents given to us, the entire Itsekiri nation completely condemns and rejects the exercise carried out by INEC,” he added.