Delineation: Kusimi, Tekedor, Eweregbene Communities Raise Alarm Over INEC Delisting In Warri South West, Urges Swift Correction
A coalition of communities, Kusimi, Eweregbene, and Tekedor, have jointly raised the alarm over what they describe as a blatant act of disenfranchisement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a strongly worded press briefing held today, community leaders decried their removal from INEC’s recent delineation exercise in Warri South West Local Government Area.
According to the leaders, their communities, long recognised by judicial rulings, census records, and previous INEC documents, have always been part of Ward 1 in Warri South West, particularly Units 22 and 27. They stressed that they have consistently contributed to the electoral and socio-political fabric of Delta State and Nigeria at large.
The group highlighted that they had previously agitated for the creation of distinct wards for each community due to their significant population and voting power. Instead, they were stunned to find themselves omitted entirely from the updated delineation list.
Read the full statement below:
PRESS RELEASE
Date: MONDAY 12TH MAY 2025
JOINT PRESS BRIEFING BY KUSIMI COMMUNITY, EWEREGBENE COMMUNITY, AND TEKEDOR KUSIMI COMMUNITY ON THE INJUSTICE OF THE EXCLUSION/REMOVAL OF OUR COMMUNITIES FROM INEC’S RECENT DELINEATION EXERCISE IN WARRI SOUTH WEST LGA
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,
We, the leaders and people of Kusimi Community, Eweregbene Community, and Tekedor Kusimi Community, we find it imperative to come together in unity and peace to assert our civic rights and correct a grave injustice recently meted out to us by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Our communities are not mere settlements. We are constitutionally recognized entities with distinct histories, cultures, and legal status. Our existence is affirmed by judicial decisions, the National Population Census, and political and traditional institutions, including prior acknowledgments by INEC itself. We have always participated actively in the democratic process and contributed to the socio-political development of Delta State and Nigeria at large.
Historically, our communities have been part of Ward 1 in Warri South West Local Government Area, represented specifically in Units 22 and 27. This has been the framework through which we exercise our democratic rights.
We are, therefore, alarmed and disappointed by our exclusion from the list of communities in INEC’s recent delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency. This omission is particularly disheartening given that our communities had earlier agitated for the creation of separate wards, based on our significant population and voting strength, which qualifies each community for such representation.
To now see our names omitted and replaced with fictitious or non-existent ones is an affront to justice, democratic integrity, and our fundamental rights as citizens.
We, therefore, make the following demands:
1. INEC must immediately reinstate the names of Kusimi, Eweregbene, and Tekedor Kusimi Communities into the official list of communities in Warri South West LGA.
2. INEC must recognize and create separate electoral wards for each of these communities, in line with their population and voting capacity.
3. The relevant authorities must investigate this act of exclusion and treat it as a violation of our constitutional and democratic rights.
4. The media, civil society, and all justice-loving Nigerians must stand with us in ensuring that fairness, transparency, and equity is restored.
Let it be known: we will not be silent when our identity, our civic rights, and our future are disregarded. As the saying goes,
“We are too important to be ignored by human beings, because no human can take the place of God.”
We demand immediate corrective action, inclusion, and public clarification by INEC.
We also call on:
Hon. Sylvester Oromoni, Chairman of Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State,
Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State,
His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
To urgently intervene and address this injustice. Our communities must not be silenced or excluded from the democratic process to which we are rightfully entitled.
Long live Kusimi Community!
Long live Eweregbene Community!
Long live Tekedor Kusimi Community!
Long live Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom!
Long live Warri South West LGA!
Long live Delta State!
And long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Thank you.
Signed:
Mr. Newman Kusimi
Opinion Leader, Kusimi Community
Mr. Joseph Dedetolu
Opinion Leader, Eweregbene Community
Amb. Dcn. Clement Tekedor
Opinion Leader, Tekedor Kusimi Community
5/12/2025, 3:28:41 PM
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