Elections in Nigeria: Concerns as Protesters Storm INEC Headquarters in Abuja, Video Emerges
- Women of Warri kingdom have staged a protest against the re-delineation exercise conducted by INEC under the immediate past chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu
- Earlier, Itsekiri youths demonstrated at the INEC headquarters, making the same demand
- The protesters alleged that since 1999, there have been deliberate and coordinated efforts by those they described as their neighbours to exterminate the Itsekiri people of Warri kingdom
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - A protest by the Warri Indigenous Women Forum on Wednesday, January 21, drew attention to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
Legit.ng reports that INEC is Nigeria's body responsible for organising and conducting elections for federal and state offices, registering voters and political parties, and managing electoral processes in the country.
Source: Twitter
Protesters storm INEC HQ Abuja
As reported by Vanguard, the women accused INEC of carrying out a re-delineation exercise they say threatens the political survival of the Itsekiri people in Delta State. They urged INEC to immediately suspend the exercise, warning that any further steps while court cases are still pending could amount to contempt of court and risk destabilising peace in the Niger Delta.
They also appealed to the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government, the United Nations (UN) and the international community to intervene, describing the situation as one with grave political and humanitarian implications.
The protest march ended with the formal submission of a petition to INEC.
In their petition, the women faulted the re-delineation exercise allegedly carried out under the immediate past INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, saying it violates the fundamental and political rights of the 'Itsekiri nation', whose ancestral homeland they insist lies wholly within the Warri Federal Constituency.
The petition stated:
“Since 1999, there have been deliberate and coordinated efforts by our neighbours to exterminate the Itsekiri people of Warri Kingdom, through a well-planned criminal campaign of violence, displacement, and systematic marginalisation."
Furthermore, the women condemned reports that coordinate points were allegedly fixed in Edo and Ondo States, as well as in parts of Delta State outside the Warri Federal Constituency, to create polling units for non-indigenes and non-residents.
They also relied on a December 2025 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Asaba Division (Appeal No. CA/AS/154/2024), which affirmed Itsekiri ownership of Ogbe-Ijoh community, insisting that INEC has no legal authority to act contrary to the ruling.
Itsekiri youths protest Warri delineation
In the same vein, the president of Ugbarajo Itsekiri Youths (UIY), Joseph Okotie, led Itsekiri youths to the INEC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, January 20, to protest the alleged illegal ward delineation proposal in Warri Federal constituency of Delta State.
Speaking to journalists, Bright Omaghomi Okoroatsegor and Tsaye Edeyibo Mene joined Okotie to express their concerns. They called on the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to investigate those allegedly involved in the exercise, which they said could threaten peace in the oil-rich region.
Source: Facebook
According to Arise News, they also called for respect for the rule of law regarding land ownership in Warri Federal Constituency.
A Facebook video showing the protesters addressing the press can be viewed below:
Itsekiri youths shut Delta facility
Legit.ng earlier reported that some protesting Itsekiri youths have shut down an oil production facility in Ogidigben, Warri.
The facility, formerly operated by Shell, reportedly produces around 28,000 barrels of crude oil daily.
Source: Legit.ng
