Itsekiri Youths Threaten To Disrupt 2023 Elections Over Unrecognised Wards

A coalition of protesters under the aegis of Itsekiri National Youth Council on Tuesday took to the streets in Abuja threatening to disrupt the 2023 election in Warri.

“There won’t any election in Warri in 2023 if the Independent National Electoral Commission refuses to obey the judgment given by Justice P. F. Olayiwola of a Federal High Court in Benin on May 19, 2006”, the youths numbering over 100 threatened.

The aggrieved protesters also said election would not take place in Warri if INEC refuses to comply with the agreement they entered in 2019 to implement the recognized 10 Electoral wards in Warri South Local Government Area instead of the 12 currently in use.

They carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘INEC, You obeyed court judgement and removed governors of Imo, Bayelsa, Zamfara, and Bauchi. Why can’t you obey the same court judgment in Warri South LGA?’

The chairman of INYC, Weyinmi Agbateyiniro, who led the protesters
at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, demanded that the INEC leadership should come and address them within three days that they would occupy the venue, or else they would have no other option than to ensure that there would be any form of election in Warri henceforth.

According to him, as of 1999, Warri South LGA had 10 Electoral wards shared between Itsekiri people and other ethnic groups that make up the LG.

He however said that INEC “mischievously” merged some of the wards dominated by Itsekiri and divided those of the non-Itsekiri to increase the number to 12 Electoral wards so as to give the other groups undue political advantage over the Itsekiri people.

Agbateyiniro said that they went to court against INEC and others and the judgment was in their favour, while the commission had refused to honour the judgement, which was delivered on May 19, 2006.

The INYC also presented a copy of a letter it wrote to the INEC chairman on January 4 2019 asking the commission to revert to the earlier 10 Electoral wards instead of the 12.

Agbateyiniro said, “But INEC has neither obeyed the court ruling nor honoured a memorandum they both entered ahead of 2019, in the interest of fairness, justice, and equity.

“Since INEC is a creation of the law and expected at all times to totally obey all subsisting court judgments, we are therefore counting strongly on you do the needful as you have always done since you took over as INEC chairman by using only materials recognizing these 10 ward structures to conduct elections in Warri South Local Government Area.

“This council shall resist any attempt to use illegal wards to conduct elections in Warri South Local Government Area”.

He said that there was a protest going on simultaneous at INEC office in Warri, but they in Abuja could not protest at INEC premises because of security issues, but promised to continue at the Unity Fountain until the INEC leadership comes to address them or better still resolve the matter as earlier ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, a copy of the memorandum of understanding signed by INEC and INYC, which was witnessed by security agents reads, “Upon the amicable resolution reached between the Resident Electoral Commission of INEC in Asaba and the representatives of the Itsekiri National Youth Council in respect of the implementation of the 10 wards judgment delivered by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, the Independent National Electoral Commission hereby agrees to do needful in respect of the ward structure after the 2019 elections”.

The organisation expressed worried that INEC has not respected these, but was rather preparing to conduct the 2023 general elections using a faulty template.