The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Wednesday, visited Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, as it commenced the processes of wards/units’ delineation in the state.
The commission’s officials visited Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and began a fresh delineation of electoral wards and polling units in the Warri Federal Constituency.
The PUNCH gathered that the move was part of efforts to implement the ruling of the Supreme Court, which ordered the electoral umpire to reassign wards and polling units across the three local government areas in Warri.
Addressing the INEC officials in his palace, the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oboro-Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba, urged the visiting team to discharge their duties diligently and work according to the constitution.
“I have given you the go-ahead. You can go and do your work accordingly and perfectly as it is supposed to be,” the monarch stated.
The Special Data Analyst, INEC National Headquarters, Abuja, Ibrahim Ahmed, who led the delegation, promised that the team would be guided by the constitution in performing its duties.
“We assure you that we’re going to do this work diligently and according to the constitution, following the guidelines,” he said.
Speaking with journalists shortly after, another member of the team, Buhari Ibrahim, from the Electoral Operations Department, INEC Headquarters, Abuja, said they “will take the coordinate of every locality and demarcate the boundaries.”
He added that “INEC will decide on wards and polling units after this stage. It is all about the identification and delineation of the communities. It will be credible based on findings and according to the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We will identify the localities, take the coordinate of every locality and demarcate the boundaries. After that, the commission will decide on the next stage.”