WIPM Affirms Itsekiri Majority In Warri Federal Constituency, Cites BVAS Data
WIPM Affirms Itsekiri Majority In Warri Federal Constituency, Cites BVAS Data
The Warri Indigenous People’s Movement (WIPM) has stated that data from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the last general elections supports the claim that the Itsekiri ethnic group constitutes the majority in Warri Federal Constituency.
This declaration was made by WIPM’s General Secretary, Comrade Monoyo Edon, during a rally on Monday, May 19, in Warri, Delta State. The rally spanned major roads and streets across the city.
Reacting to statements by Ijaw and Urhobo stakeholders, Edon said, “It is laughable that the Ijaws claim that the Itsekiris are not more than 10,000. In reality, the Ijaws in Warri Federal Constituency are less than 10% of the Itsekiris.”
In a document titled “Response to the Joint Reaction of the Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri Federal Constituency on Recent Developments Relating to the Supreme Court Ordered Fresh Delineation of Electoral Wards and Polling Units”, Edon said WIPM could no longer stay silent in the face of what he called “tissues of lies and salvos fired against the Olu of Warri and the Itsekiri people.”
He further clarified that the Itsekiris are not opposed to fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units, stating, “Warri Federal Constituency and the other 359 federal constituencies of Nigeria are more than due for delineation.”
However, he criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for allegedly deviating from the Supreme Court-ordered guidelines during its recent fieldwork in Warri, describing the move as a continuation of INEC’s controversial past in the region.
Edon referenced the 1997 creation of 12 wards in Warri South Local Government Area, which he described as “gerrymandering against the Itsekiri people.” He reminded the public that the Federal High Court had nullified that action in Suit No. FHC/B/109/97, a judgment which, according to him, INEC has yet to comply with.
He accused Ijaw and Urhobo leaders of selectively obeying court rulings. “They cannot choose which court judgement to obey and which to ignore,” Edon stated, referencing multiple rulings—including the 10/12 ward judgement in Warri South and the Supreme Court ruling affirming Okerenghigho as the correct name of the Nigerian Maritime University—as being ignored by the groups in question.
“When the law favours them, they shout ‘rule of law,’ but when it doesn’t, they cry foul,” Edon concluded, accusing them of double standards and undermining legal decisions that affirm Itsekiri claims.
