Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja 

Members of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State on Thursday stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja, where they demanded the immediate implementation of the Supreme Court order.

The constituents, who were from the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Warri, Delta State, were armed with placards with various inscriptions like, ‘We appreciate INEC; Go and verify’, ‘INEC please complete Supreme Court directive’, ‘INEC, thank you for yielding to the voice of the people’, among others.

The leader of the protesters, Chief David Reje, commended the commission for committing itself to the rule of law and the principles of good governance. 

He also dismissed reports that all the stakeholders were not consulted before INEC kick-started the delineation.

Reje stated: “Why we have come here is to appreciate you, to thank you for the good work you have done since 2022, after the Supreme Court judgment. You never jettisoned the judgment. You committed yourself to the rule of law and the principles of good governance and you really took it upon yourself to engage all the stakeholders of the nationalities of the Ijaws, the Itsekiris, and the Urhobos.

“You formed a committee, you went down, you were engaging them differently, and they were heavily represented by their leaders and their traditional rulers and at the end of it, you made out time to go to the communities of all the nationalities of the Itsekiri, the Ijaws, and the Urhobos.

“And by your fieldwork, you have been able to come out with a proposed document somehow, a proposed report. And we found out that some people are trying to become funny as if they were not involved in the whole process.”

Contrary to media reports, Reje added: “We were all involved in the whole process, in Warri, in Asaba, and in everything. And everybody has given their assent to the process to be carried out.

“But I was so surprised by the protests from some corners, particularly from our Itsekiri brothers, as if they were taking it on their back. Gone are the days when wards were allocated. 

“Today, wards are given diligently through a diligent ward delineation process, which is first of all carried out. So we have come to appreciate you, and to let the public know that you never did any job in the classroom, or in the bedroom, or in the room, the private room. It was a public work, a public assignment, demonstrated by mostly, going through the creeks, or the nooks and crannies of the three areas.

“Today, we have left our Egypt of political slavery to our promised land of political emancipation and political identity and dignity. Nobody will dictate a candidate for us, for councillors. 

“Today, we have gotten our freedom. We have been set to make the world to know that the people who they termed minority are the true majority, which has been confirmed, which has been revealed to the whole world. The majority has come on board. The majority has come on the stream.

“The majority has come for their political emancipation and political sovereignty. Our own is not to dominate anybody. Our own is not to set somebody aside. Let’s all cooperate, work together as Nigerians, as brothers and sisters in a federal constituency to make sure that we build an environment that is politically endowed with the beauty of political democracy and freedom.”

The protesters were received by top INEC officials led by two National Commissioners, Professor Abdullahi Zuru and Malam Mohammed Haruna.

Addressing the protesters, Zuru said the commission was dedicated to doing the right thing at all times.

His words: “We want to thank you most sincerely for coming here as one of the major stakeholders in this discussion. Thank you for appreciating what the commission has done so far.

“We want to assure you as a commission, we are dedicated to doing what is right as far as democracy in Nigeria is concerned. And God willing, we will ensure that democracy at the end of the day is what decides everything that we do.”

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