Nigeria’s Electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has been mandated to carry out fresh delineation exercise in three Local Government Areas of Delta State, Southern Nigeria.
The Local Governments are Warri South West, Warri South and Warri North Local Governments.
The Supreme Court in Abuja issued the order in a judgement by Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji.
Voice of Nigeria reports that the Apex Court ordered that the delineation of the Electoral Wards and Units be carried out before the conduct of future elections in the affected areas.
The court made the compelling order while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by Mr. George Timinimi and 9 others against INEC.
The suit which gave birth to the judgment commenced at the Federal High Court, Asaba Judicial Division on the 28th day of March, 2011 when Mr George Timinimi & 9 others filed an action by way of a writ of summons against INEC for themselves and on behalf of the Ijaws of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
The appellants said that, INEC had not properly delineated wards and units in Warri South West, Warri South and Warri North Local Government Areas of Delta State in tandem with the existing population of the areas, adding that there were fictitious wards and units in existence in the three Warri councils.
They noted that, such wards and units were being used as instrument of electoral manipulation and fraud, lamenting that in some cases, areas with high population had less wards and units while sparsely populated areas had undeserved number of wards and units.
They sought order of the Court compelling the defendant, its agents, servants, privies and assigns to conduct a fresh delineation of all that electoral wards/polling units for Warri South West, Warri North and Warri South Local Government Areas of Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State for the purpose of future elections
Also sought was order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, its agents, servants, privies and assigns not to conduct any other election within the Warri Federal Constituency comprising Warri South West, Warri South and Warri North Local Government Areas until a new updated delineation of wards and units are put in place by the Defendant.
The Federal High Court, in Asaba and the Court of Appeal, Benin Judicial Division had earlier dismissed the case of the appellants.
Dissatisfied by the decision of two courts, the appellants, appealed to the Supreme Court through their Counsel, Mr Eric Omare which in its verdict upturned the judgments of the two lower courts and ordered INEC to carry out fresh delineation of Electoral Wards and Units in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State for the conduct of future elections.
N.O
