FROM NATIONAL HONOUR TO NATIONAL DISGRACE: INEC MUST RELEASE WARRI FINAL DELINEATION RESULT NOW
OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC)
FROM NATIONAL HONOUR TO NATIONAL DISGRACE: INEC MUST RELEASE WARRI FINAL DELINEATION RESULT NOW
A Public Position by Concerned Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
Nigeria stands today at a defining moment where institutions must choose between constitutional duty and deliberate avoidance. Unfortunately, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), once regarded as a pillar of democratic order, is steadily drifting from national honour into national disgrace.
As of the 16st day of April, INEC continues to withhold the final delineation result of Warri Federal Constituency, a process already completed in compliance with the clear and binding judgment of the Supreme Court in George Timinimi & Ors v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2022). What should have been a simple act of publication has now become an embarrassing display of silence, hesitation and institutional irresponsibility.
Let it be stated without ambiguity:
INEC has no excuse left.
The Supreme Court has spoken. The delineation exercise has been conducted. The facts are established. What remains is publication. Yet, INEC has chosen a path of silence, as though constitutional directives are mere suggestions to be obeyed at convenience.
This is no longer delay, this is disobedience.
INEC must understand that Nigeria is governed by law, not by discretion. Section 287(1) of the Constitution provides in unmistakable terms that the decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced. The language is mandatory, not advisory. Section 1(1) further affirms that the Constitution is supreme and binding on all authorities, INEC is not above the Constitution.
INEC is subject to it and by withholding the final delineation result, INEC is failing in that duty.
What makes this situation deeply troubling is not just the delay but the attitude surrounding it. This is not a minor administrative issue. This is a constitutional obligation affecting representation, governance and democratic legitimacy.
Section 14(2)(c) guarantees the participation of the people in their government. Section 36(1) guarantees that rights must be determined within a reasonable time. That reasonable time has long expired. What remains is not caution, it is denial.
Warri Federal Constituency is not a theoretical construct that can be manipulated behind closed doors. It is a historically grounded, multi-ethnic entity recognized across time. Colonial records, including the Warri Township Assessment Report of 1928, confirm the co-existence of Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri peoples. Even earlier, Duarte Pacheco Pereira documented the presence of the Ijos in Escravos and Forcados as far back as 1485.
These are not disputed facts.
They are recorded history.
The law is equally settled. The Privy Council in Ometan v. Dore Numa (1926) rejected claims of imposed overlordship. The Supreme Court in Shell v. Tiebo VII (1996) affirmed that Ijaw communities hold their lands under their own customary system, free from external dominance. These authorities are binding, they cannot be ignored, suspended or negotiated.
INEC’s continued silence in the face of these realities raises serious and unavoidable questions. What exactly is being protected by this delay? What interest is being served? Why must a completed process stop at the point where transparency becomes necessary? At this stage, silence is no longer neutral.
It is suspicious.
The implications of this delay are far-reaching, democracy is not built on election day alone, it is built on lawful structure. Without a valid delineation, there is no lawful basis for Continuous Voter Registration. Without lawful registration, there can be no credible election. Any attempt to proceed otherwise is fundamentally defective.
Let it be clearly understood:
No final delineation result, no valid electoral framework.
No valid framework, no credible election.
History has repeatedly shown that when institutions delay justice, they do not preserve peace, they endanger it, silence does not resolve tension, it deepens it. Delay does not protect stability, it weakens it.
This is not a threat.
It is a reality backed by experience.
As Concerned Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, we state our position firmly and without apology:
INEC must immediately release the final delineation result in full compliance with the judgment of the Supreme Court. The Federal Government must ensure that this constitutional obligation is carried out without further delay.
Anything short of this is not neutrality.
It is complicity.
INEC must now decide its place in history, whether it will stand as an institution that upheld the Constitution at a critical moment or one that allowed silence, pressure and indecision to drag it into disrepute.
The line has been drawn.
The law is clear.
The people are watching. And the time for silence has expired.
Signed,
Chief Tiemopere Joshua ~ President
Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime ~ Secretary
Concerned Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency for Truth and Justice
Cc:
The National Security Adviser
The Chief Justice of Nigeria
The National Assembly
The Delta State Governor
International Observers
Media Houses