Federal High Court Dismisses Bid To Stop Warri Electoral Reforms

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by two Itsekiri stakeholders seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from delineating electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/443/2024, was instituted by Hon. Appearance Afejuku and Mr. Emmanuel Nunu, Secretary of Warri South Local Government Area, against INEC.

Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the suit was a gross abuse of court process and lacked merit.

The court accordingly dismissed the case in its entirety and awarded a total cost of N4 million against the plaintiffs, with 10% interest per annum until full payment is made.

The plaintiffs had sought an injunction to restrain INEC from proceeding with the proposed delineation exercise across Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South-West Local Government Areas.

The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to stall long-anticipated electoral reforms aimed at correcting alleged political marginalisation and underrepresentation of certain ethnic groups within the Warri Federal Constituency.

With the dismissal of the suit, INEC is now expected to proceed with the delayed delineation of electoral boundaries in the Warri region, a contentious issue that has sparked debates across Delta State for years.

The ruling is being hailed by many advocacy groups and community stakeholders as a major legal victory in the push for equitable representation in the federal constituency.

It will be recalled that in a similar development, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had also dismissed another suit that sought to block INEC from implementing the Supreme Court’s December 2, 2022 judgment, which authorised the delineation of polling units and wards in Warri South Local Government Area.