Warri Lawyer Says INEC Lacks Power To Delineate, Demands Investigation of Chair, Officials.
Warri Lawyer Says INEC Lacks Power To Delineate, Demands Investigation of Chair, Officials.
Warri Lawyer Says INEC Lacks Power To Delineate, Demands Investigation of Chair, Officials.
A Warri based legal Practitioner and the Egogo of Warri Kingdom, Chief Robinson Ariyo has insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) lacks the constitutional power to delineate and re-delineate Electoral wards describing the exercise as total ‘fraud’.
Ariyo also called for a proper investigation into the accounts of INEC Chairman and other officials over allegation of alleged inducement over the delineation exercise.
Giving credence to his assertion, Ariyo said a court affidavit in public space and deposed to by a principal officer of INEC, Mr. Onyema Chika before a Federal High Court in Benin clearly put to pay to the constitutional role of INEC as far as delineation is concerned.
According to paragraph 12 and 13 Onyema Chika was quoted to have deposed under oath, “That I know as a fact that the 1st Defendant does not conduct election using Electoral wards. It is State Independent Electoral Commission that conducts Electoral wards structure who now has the responsibility to create and re-delineate Electoral wards.
“That I know as a fact that as at the time the judgement of this Honorable court was delivered on the 13th day of August 2003. The power to delineate and re-delineate Electoral wards had been taken away from the 1st Defendant virtue of 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and domiciled with the State Independent Electoral Commission.
Ariyo said, “In what amounts to a confession, Mr. Onyema Chika, a Principal Executive Officer of INEC has in an affidavit deposed before the Commissioner for Oaths, Federal High Court Benin that INEC does not have the power to delineate and re-delineate Electoral Wards by virtue of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Subsequently Ariyo submitted that the entire activity remains a fraud and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to institute a Panel of enquiry into the activities of INEC leading to the proposed delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency on the 4th day of April, 2025.
“The accounts of the Chairman of INEC, the Chairman of the delineation Committee, Professor Rhoda Gumus and all the top INEC officials that are connected with the exercise including the head of the legal department T.M Inuwa, SAN should be investigated
He further asked for the investigation of widespread illegal encroachment of Itsekiri oil lands by Tantita Security Services Limited especially with alleged regard to the financial inducement of INEC and other Federal Government Agencies with dollars from the contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Limited.
