The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has thrown its weight behind the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri Federal Constituency, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to obey the rule of law.

According to the group, INEC must implement the Supreme Court’s judgement of December 2, 2022 wherein it was charged to conduct fresh delineation of electoral wards in the constituencies. HURIWA said failure to obey the rule of law in conducting fresh delineation of wards will amount to subversion of the Supreme Court’s clear.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the group’s national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the civil rights advocacy group said it fully aligns with the grievances raised by the Ijaw and Urhobo communities at their world press conference. It said “INEC’s current actions amount to outright contempt of court,” and warned that any act against the rule of law amounts to what it described as “a calculated assault on democracy.”

The group noted that the apex court had reviewed previous elections in Warri Federal Constituency and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh delineation of all wards and polling units in Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North local government areas.

“The judgement arose from long-standing complaints of fictitious wards, inequitable distribution of polling units, and gross irregularities that tilted the balance of representation against the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo people.”

HURIWA noted that “the Supreme Court’s order was clear and unambiguous: the old electoral structures stood void, and fresh delineation was the only legal basis for credible elections in the area.”

According to HURIWA, “it is unconstitutional for INEC to proceed with the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Warri Federal Constituency without first concluding and publishing the delineation report mandated by the Supreme Court.”

The association reiterated the principle famously captured by Lord Denning in UAC vs McToy (1963) that “you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand,” insisting that any voter registration or electoral process carried out in Warri without fresh delineation is null and void.”

It said that “the history of Warri’s electoral disputes dates back to the late 1990s when INEC itself, in its post-election assessment report of 1999.”

HURIWA emphasised that “the indigenous people of Warri have shown extraordinary patience by seeking judicial remedies.”

The association noted that despite convening stakeholder meetings with representatives of the affected communities in 2023 and 2025, and even producing a draft report on the fresh delineation exercise, INEC has failed to publish or implement the final report. Instead, it has chosen to proceed with voter registration in a constituency where the legal framework for wards and polling units no longer exists.”

HURIWA said this development is capable of disenfranchising the indigenous people and undermining the confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Endorsing the demands made by the Ijaw and Urhobo people, HURIWA called on INEC “to immediately release and implement the delineation report to avoid the violation of the democratic rights of Nigerians in Warri Federal Constituency.”

The association also appealed to civil society organisations, religious leaders, the international community, and all advocates of democracy to rally behind the indigenous people of Warri in their quest for justice.

HURIWA affirmed that the fight of the Ijaw and Urhobo people is not just local but a litmus test for Nigeria’s democracy.

Concluding, HURIWA declared that it will continue to monitor the situation closely.