Delta Communities Vow to Shut Warri Refinery Over INEC Ward Snub
The Ijala communities of Delta State are done asking nicely. After decades of being sidelined in the electoral process, the people of the old Obodo/Omadino Ward in Warri South LGA are threatening to shut down major oil fields and petroleum depots, including the Warri Refinery, if the Independent National Electoral Commission fails to create the long-demanded Ijala Ward.
Why Are Ijala Communities Protesting Against INEC?
On Sunday, scores of residents from Ifiekporo, Ajaetan, Ikeren, and Utunwa flooded the Ifiekporo community hall in a bold, peaceful protest. Elders, women, and youths stood shoulder to shoulder, sending a clear message to INEC and the Federal Government: the marginalization ends now. Pa Michael Domino, speaking for the aggrieved communities, made it plain that every constitutional avenue had been exhausted.
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.
What Is the Core Demand of the Ijala Axis?
The demand is straightforward. The Ijala Axis of Warri Islands wants the existing Obodo/Omadino electoral ward divided into four independent wards, with Ijala Ward carved out as a standalone entity. Pa Domino broke down the facts. Obodo and Omadino are two autonomous communities. The axis hosts four communities and houses the oil companies and arable lands that keep Warri South's economy alive.
When the Supreme Court ordered ward delineation in 2023, INEC officials visited the communities for fieldwork. Yet, in every proposal shared with ethnic stakeholders, not a single ward was allocated to the Ijala people. They remain pegged to the old 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 Does the Warri GRA Contrast Expose the Injustice?
The protesters highlighted a painful contrast. INEC proposed three wards for the riverbank of Warri GRA, a commercial zone where people do business and return to their homes in Ogbe-Ijoh and neighbouring LGAs. Meanwhile, the Ijala communities, who actually live on the land and host the oil wealth, got zero. It is a glaring disparity that exposes the flaws in the delineation process.
Which Oil Assets Are at Risk of Shutdown?
The Ijala communities are not just talking. They are spelling out exactly what sits on their land. Oil fields managed by Conoil and Seplat. Petroleum depots operated by Matrix Energy Ltd, AYM Shafa, Pinnacle Oil and Gas, Parker Oil, A&E Petro, Keonamex Oil and Gas. And the crown jewel: the Warri Refinery.
We will not sit idly by only to be overlooked yet again as INEC prepares its final delineation report in Warri Federal Constituency. For us, allotting Ijala ward is non-negotiable and it is now or never, otherwise we will speak the only language the Federal Government understands: crippling the economy.
What Did the Protesters Say About Presidential Intervention?
The communities acknowledged President Bola Tinubu's intervention to prevent a crisis in the Warri Federal Constituency's ward delineation. However, they pointed out that INEC only addressed issues in Warri North and Warri South-West. The grievances in Warri South remain completely unresolved.
Other community leaders, including Pa William Ejegi, Mrs Abigail Tonukarin, Mr Francis Eyifoma, Mr Alfred Edon, and Comrade Tuoyo Ebigbeyi, reinforced the stance. If INEC fails to allot the Ijala ward, shutting down oil operations becomes the only remaining option.
Will INEC Address Ijala Ward Demands Before the Final Report?
That remains the multimillion-naira question. As INEC prepares its final delineation report for the Warri Federal Constituency, the Ijala communities have drawn their line in the sand. The people whose land fuels the economy are demanding their rightful seat at the table. They have the numbers. They have the economic muscle. They have the resolve. The ball is now in INEC's court.