Niger Delta Group Condemns Alleged Plot to Alter INEC Warri Delineation Report

Date: July 30, 2025
Author: Prince Agbedeyi Odimientimi Desmond

The Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), a prominent advocacy group in the Niger Delta, has issued a stern warning to the federal government over what it describes as a deliberate attempt to manipulate the electoral delineation process of the Warri Federal Constituency in favour of the Itsekiri ethnic group.

In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Ozobo Austin, and made available to our newsroom on Tuesday, the group accused individuals in the presidency — particularly those linked to the President and First Lady — of interfering in the responsibilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a bid to alter the already released Warri delineation report.

According to the IPDI, “credible intelligence” indicates that the matter, previously being handled by the National Security Adviser (NSA), was deliberately withdrawn and redirected to the Office of the Chief of Staff, whom the group described as a “compromised actor.” The group believes this was done to allow alterations that would marginalize the Ijaw and Urhobo people, who are the majority in the Warri constituency.

Grave Consequences Warned

Comrade Ozobo did not mince words as he warned that any move to manipulate the delineation process would be met with serious resistance from the Ijaw nation. He emphasized that the Ijaw would defend their rights “by any means necessary,” including shutting down oil facilities across the Niger Delta region.

He added that the reported plot was a “clear case of injustice and ethnic bias,” orchestrated to favour the Itsekiri minority in Warri, allegedly with the backing of individuals from Aso Rock with ethnic loyalties. The group particularly pointed fingers at the First Lady, accusing her of being the mastermind behind the relocation of the delineation issue from the NSA to the Chief of Staff.

Call for National and International Intervention

The group further called on prominent Nigerian statesmen including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) to intervene and caution President Bola Tinubu and his wife from further aggravating tensions in the region.

They also urged the National Boundary Commission to resume its rightful constitutional responsibility in handling electoral boundary delineations in order to maintain peace, justice, and order in the region.

“We will not allow a repeat of historical marginalization,” Ozobo stated. “The Ijaw people will not stand idly by while their territories and electoral rights are illegally ceded to others. If this plan goes ahead, we may be left with no option but to make Warri ungovernable.”

Appeal to International Community

In a final warning, the group called on the international community to keep a close watch on the situation, alleging a calculated agenda to disempower and suppress the indigenous Ijaw majority in Warri.

They concluded that if no action is taken and the government proceeds with the alleged plan, the consequences could lead to ethnic unrest, oil production disruption, and irreversible damage to the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region.

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