Court dismisses Itsekiri suit to stop Warri Delineation, Orders to Pay N4 Million Damage

By Osaro Michael, Benin

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out a suit initiated by Itsekiri stakeholders to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Warri federal constituency delineation exercise in Delta State.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/443/2024, was filed by Hon. Appearance Afejuku and Mr. Emmanuel Nunu, Secretary of Warri South Local Government Area, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The judgment delivered on Monday by Justice Omotosho stated that the suit was a gross abuse of court process and lacked merit.
However, the court struck out the case in its entirety and awarded a total cost of ₦4 million against the plaintiffs, payable with interest at 10% per annum until the judgment sum is fully settled.

Recall, the plaintiffs had earlier sought an injunction restraining INEC from embarking on a fresh delineation exercise within Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South-West Local Government Areas. The application was seen by many as a move to prevent long-demanded electoral reforms aimed at addressing allegations of political imbalance and underrepresentation of some ethnic groups within the constituency.

However, the ruling is expected to pave the way for INEC to proceed with the long-delayed delineation of electoral boundaries within the Warri axis, a development that has been at the center of heated debate in Delta State for several years.

Following the dismissal of this suit, stakeholders across the region are now anticipating the next steps from INEC regarding timelines and modalities for the implementation of the delineation exercise.

It was gathered the ruling was widely viewed as a legal victory for communities and advocacy groups who have, for years, pushed for equitable electoral representation in the Warri Federal Constituency.