The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by Itsekiri representatives seeking to halt the Supreme Court-ordered fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
A three-member panel, presided over by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, dismissed the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1457/2025 for lack of merit. The court also upheld a four-million-naira cost awarded against the appellants, led by the Youth President of the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality, Appearance Afejuku.
The appellate court ruled that the issue of delineation in Warri had been conclusively resolved by the apex court. This judgment affirms an earlier ruling by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, which labeled the suit a gross abuse of court process. The decision effectively clears the way for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to implement the fresh delineation before future elections.
In a related development, the Federal High Court sitting in Warri has dismissed another suit filed by the Itsekiris seeking to set aside INEC’s interim report on the delineation exercise.
The plaintiffs had argued that they were not consulted before the interim report was released. However, the presiding judge dismissed the suit, ruling that the Supreme Court judgment did not mandate INEC to consult the Itsekiris before implementing its directive. The court further described the lawsuit as premature, noting that the interim report was merely a proposal.
With these legal victories for INEC, the Ijaws, and the Urhobos of Warri, the regulatory body is now legally cleared to conclude the long-contested electoral restructuring of the constituency.