Independent National Electoral Commission has officially released the Supreme Court-ordered delineation report for wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency, marking a major development in the long-running political and ethnic disputes in Delta State.
The report was presented during an emergency stakeholders’ meeting held in Asaba, where representatives of the Itsekiri, Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic nationalities gathered alongside senior INEC officials.
Delta State Resident Electoral Commissioner Etekamba Unoren unveiled the outcome of the exercise, which followed months of controversy and agitation over political representation in the Warri axis.
According to the report, Warri North Local Government Area has now been divided into two blocs, with Warri North I, dominated by the Itsekiri ethnic group, allocated 10 wards, while Warri North II, largely populated by Ijaw communities, also received 10 wards.
In Warri South-West, the delineation allocated seven wards to Warri South-West II, predominantly occupied by Itsekiris, while Warri South-West I, mainly populated by Ijaws, received 13 wards.
For Warri South Local Government Area, INEC created a total of 20 wards distributed across the three major ethnic groups in the area.
The breakdown showed that the Urhobo ethnic nationality received nine wards, the Itsekiri got eight wards, while the Ijaw communities were allocated three wards.
INEC also announced adjustments to state constituency arrangements within Warri South, stating that the Urhobo and Ijaw communities would now jointly occupy one State Constituency I, while the Itsekiri nationality would retain a separate constituency.
The electoral commission further disclosed plans for additional federal constituencies for both the Ijaw and Itsekiri groups in Warri North and Warri South-West.
However, INEC clarified that the proposed constituencies would only take effect after constitutional amendments and approval by the National Assembly.
The ward delineation exercise has remained a sensitive issue in Delta State due to years of legal disputes, protests and demands for equitable political representation among the ethnic nationalities in the Warri Federal Constituency.
