The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Urhobo and Ijaw communities in Delta State that it will review their demands following a peaceful protest at the commission’s national headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

The demonstrators, drawn from Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South West Local Government Areas, accused INEC of failing to implement a Supreme Court-ordered delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency.

Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the protesters submitted a petition signed by 16 community representatives to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, warning that ongoing voter registration in the area without proper electoral structures violated their constitutional rights and the Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022.

The petition partly read:

“We can no longer wait while our democratic rights, guaranteed by the constitution and reaffirmed by the Supreme Court judgment, are being eroded. INEC should immediately release and implement the report painstakingly embarked upon by stakeholders. We shall not idly stand by and watch our franchise fretted away.”

The group commended INEC for its initial fieldwork and presentation of proposed registration areas and polling units but expressed frustration at the delays in finalizing the process. They vowed to continue occupying the commission’s headquarters until their demands were met.

Receiving the petition on behalf of the commission, INEC National Commissioner Prof. Abdullahi Zuru praised the protesters for their peaceful approach and pledged that their concerns would be addressed.

“I want to thank you sincerely for this peaceful approach. You have read through your submission, and the people here have heard what you have said. I will tender this document to the commission, which will look at it and act on it,” Zuru said, adding that there was “no intention whatsoever to disenfranchise anybody.”

Speaking for the demonstrators, Ijaw leader David Jere from Warri North decried INEC’s silence despite reportedly concluding the delineation process months ago.

“For Ijaws and Urhobos, we don’t have wards and units to register. We came here to tell you to release the final reports of your exercise so that we can participate in the ongoing CVR,” he stated.

Another protester highlighted the legal implications of INEC’s actions, noting that “in the eyes of the law, there is no existing ward or unit in Warri Federal Constituency at all by virtue of the Supreme Court judgment.”

The Supreme Court had ordered INEC to conduct a fresh delineation of wards in Warri Federal Constituency after longstanding claims of imbalance and underrepresentation. In response, INEC began consultations in February 2023, concluded fieldwork in July 2024, and presented a draft delineation report to stakeholders in Warri on April 4, 2025.

At the time, INEC clarified in a statement that the report was still under review and urged stakeholders to submit observations for further engagement.

With nationwide voter registration now underway, however, Urhobo and Ijaw communities argue they are being effectively sidelined a development that triggered the latest protest.

Zuru concluded by assuring the protesters that their grievances would be relayed to the full commission.

The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise began online on August 18 and physically on August 25 across Nigeria.