From Jude Ossai, Warri

The people of Ijala communities of the old Obodo/Omadino Ward in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State have threatened to shut down critical oil fields and depots in the locality over alleged non-allocation of separate electoral wards to the communities in the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commission ward delineation exercise.

Hundreds of residents of the communities, comprising elderly men, women and youths from Ifiekporo, Ajaetan, Ikeren and Utunwa, besieged the Ifiekporo community hall on Sunday, where they staged a peaceful protest to express their grievances over the INEC exercise.

Addressing journalists on behalf of the aggrieved communities, Pa Michael Domino said the peaceful protest became necessary after all civil and constitutional means employed to press home their demand for the division of Obodo/Omadino electoral ward into four independent wards were ignored.

He said, “Since the creation of this LGA in 1991, the government and the leaders of Warri South have refused to acknowledge our numerical growth and economic viability, which are what bequeath oil-producing status on this LGA. This Ijala Axis of Warri Islands has four communities and is host to oil companies (including Warri Refinery) and has arable lands, which are the mainstay of Warri South today.

“Our demand for the creation of Ijala Ward from the existing Obodo/Omadino Ward is a legitimate cause because we have the numerical and economic strength to become a stand-alone ward. For clarity, Obodo and Omadino are two autonomous communities in Warri South. The other communities include Ifie, Ajaetan, Ikeren, Utunwa, Ubeji, Egbokodo, Orere-Uluba, Ubiro, Aja-Osolo, Uwakeno, Ugboritseduwa, Ubarira, Ugbikoko and Jaluwa-Efueye.

“When the Supreme Court-ordered ward delineation commenced in 2023, INEC officials visited our communities to carry out their fieldwork. But to our greatest disappointment, in all the proposals INEC shared with ethnic stakeholders, not one single ward was proposed for us. Frustratingly, we are still pegged back in Obodo/Omadino ward.

“Is INEC telling us that we have not increased numerically since 1991? Is INEC telling us that only those with dollars and violent tendencies are fit to be allotted wards? How is it that INEC can propose three wards for the riverbank of Warri GRA — a marketplace where people come to do business and return to their respective homes in Ogbe-Ijoh and neighbouring LGAs — but cannot propose the same for Ijala?”

While praising President Bola Tinubu for his intervention to prevent a crisis in the ward delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency, the protesters said INEC had only addressed misconceptions in Warri North and Warri South-West, while their grievances in Warri South remained unresolved.

“We can assure Nigerians that we will not shy away from shutting down critical oil fields and depots if INEC fails to allot us the much-deserved Ijala ward. We will not sit idly by only to be overlooked yet again as INEC prepares its final delineation report in Warri Federal Constituency.

Other speakers, echoed similar sentiments, insisting that the communities would have no option but to shut down oil operations should INEC fail to meet their demands.