APC Chieftain Warns Against New Warri Constituency Boundaries

A senior figure in the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Ayiri Emami, has expressed strong opposition to the way the Independent National Electoral Commission is carrying out the delineation of the Warri Federal Constituency.

He said the changes threaten the political representation of his people and could weaken their voice in national affairs.

The controversy began after a Supreme Court ruling directed INEC to redraw the boundaries of the constituency. While Emami agreed that the court’s decision should be respected, he argued that the process must follow the Electoral Act and treat all ethnic groups fairly. He accused INEC of reallocating wards in a way that benefits some areas while reducing the influence of others.

He pointed to examples where certain communities that previously had only a few wards suddenly gained many more, while others lost representation. He argued that INEC should have consulted the Supreme Court again if the data available for the exercise, such as outdated census figures, was unreliable. Instead, he said, the commission pushed ahead with changes that have already sparked protests from affected communities.

Emami stressed that Warri South Local Government is home to multiple ethnic groups, including the Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Ogbodu, and Orere. According to him, population distribution and access to infrastructure were ignored in the new ward allocations, leading to imbalances that favour some groups over others.

He warned that the Itsekiri, who can only contest elections in the Warri Federal Constituency, risk losing their only guaranteed political space if the current plan stands. He compared the situation to other ethnic groups in Delta State, noting that the Ijaw and Urhobo have several constituencies they can run in, while the Itsekiri are limited to one.

Emami described the new ward structure as a form of political erasure, saying it could lead to the Itsekiri being excluded from representation. He urged INEC to review the process, investigate the committee behind the delineation, and ensure that minority rights are protected as outlined in the Constitution.

He maintained that his position is not about conflict but about fairness and survival, adding that political cooperation among ethnic groups in the past is now being undermined by the current arrangement. For him, the changes threaten the long-standing balance that has kept the constituency united.