The Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday 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 Appearance Afejuku and Mr. Emmanuel Nunu of Warri South Local Government Area against INEC.

Justice James Omotosho held that the suit was a gross abuse of the court process and lacked merit.

The court dismissed the case in its entirety and awarded N4 million costs against the plaintiffs, with 10 per cent interest per annum until full payment is made.

The plaintiffs had sought an injunction to restrain INEC from proceeding with the proposed delineation 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, 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.

Many advocacy groups and community stakeholders have hailed the ruling as a major legal victory in the push for equitable representation in the federal constituency.

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. (The Nation)