The indigenous Warri Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic nationalities, yesterday, accused the Itsekiri ethnic nationality of working to truncate the intervention by President Bola Tinubu in the ward delineation crisis in the Warri Federal Constituency.

According to the groups, any further delay in the implementation of the delineation report and an attempt to alter the report would amount to betrayal of trust by the Federal Government and INEC, and they should not be blamed for the likely consequences.

“We note that the Itsekiris are still not satisfied despite the political interventions
that have altered the INEC delineation report in their favour. We call on INEC to upload the report of the Registration Areas/Polling Units into its portal without further delay and commence a special registration and transfer of voters to the newly created Registration Areas and Polling Units in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State”, the groups added.

At a joint media briefing by both ethnic groups yesterday, the group lauded the President’s intervention by inviting the parties to a meeting which was attended by the President, the Governor of Delta State, the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Director of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), and the Chief of State to the President and representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They disclosed that at the meeting, the President, drawing inspiration from the national anthem, called on the Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo of Warri to see themselves as brothers and sisters, though language and tough may differ.

The President called for accommodation and compromise by all the stakeholders to achieve sustainable peace in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.

On the report of the Supreme Court ordered delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency presented by INEC on 20/5/2026, Tinubu stated that his consultation with the Governor of Delta State and other relevant government agencies is to the effect that the problem was in the composition of Electoral Wards in Warri South West Local Council Area and that there was need for re-adjustment of the INEC report of Electoral Wards created in Warri South-West Local Council between the Ijaw and Itsekiri to a ratio of 11 to the Ijaw and Nine to the Itsekiri.

They stated that the INEC report of May 20, 2026, on registration of areas/electoral wards composition/structure for Warri North and Warri South Local Council Areas was not discussed and remained untouched.

The President directed that there should be a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on power-sharing and rotation in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State. In this respect, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and two representatives each from Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo were directed to draft the MoU on Power-Sharing and Rotation in the constituency.

They said the directive of the President was accepted by representatives of Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo ethnic nationalities, who thanked the President for the timely and high-level intervention and promised to work with the NSA to come up with the MOU on Power-Sharing/Rotation in the Warri Federal Constituency.

According to them, the representatives of Ijaw, Itsekiri, and Urhobo of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State met with the NSA, with the Director of DSS in attendance, to draft and sign the MOU on Power-Sharing and Rotation of officers on June 12, 2026, at the NSA Conference Room, Office of the NSA, Abuja.

The Ijaws were represented by Kingsley Otuaro and Dr Eric K. Omare; the Itsekiri were represented by A. S. Mene and Chief Robinson Ariyo, and the Urhobo by Olorogun Victor Okumagba and Chief Westham Adehor.

They disclosed that at the meeting, representatives of the ethnic nationalities were asked to present their proposal for power-sharing in the Warri Federal Constituency. The Ijaw and Urhobo proposed for the sharing/rotation of the House of Representatives seats for Warri Federal Constituency 1 and Warri Federal Constituency 11, the Chairmanship of Warri North, Warri South West, and Warri South Local Council Areas, and appointment of commissioners in all three local council areas to be rotated/shared.

However, they said the Itsekiri opposed the inclusion of rotation of Warri Federal Constituency 1, chairmanship of the three Warri local councils and commissioner appointment on the basis that the Presidential directive applies to only the rotation of the proposed Warri Federal Constituency 11 and that the other issues are within the constitutional authority of the Delta State Government to mediate.