NIGER DELTA PEOPLE’S DEVELOPMENT (NDPD)

OPEN LETTER TO INEC, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY:

Date: [12/8/2025]

RE: INEC’S DELAY IS NOT NEUTRAL, IT IS POLITICAL VIOLENCE AGAINST THE IJAWS & URHOBO OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY

1. INTRODUCTION

For more than a century, the story of Warri has been one of systematic injustice, carved into maps and sealed into laws that never reflected the truth. From the deceitful surveys of 1895 to the manipulated ward structures of the post-colonial era, the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples have been subjected to political dispossession and demographic distortion. We have watched our lands and waterways expropriated under fraudulent arrangements that favoured a smaller ethnic group, while our majority status was deliberately hidden behind fabricated figures.

Today, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) holds the Supreme Court ordered final delineation result for Warri Federal Constituency. This document is not simply administrative paperwork, it is a historic opportunity to correct a century-old injustice. Yet every day it remains concealed, the ghost of colonial fraud walks freely in our politics, whispering to the powerful that oppression can still be made permanent. This delay is not an innocent oversight, it is an extension of the same deception that has kept our people politically marginalised.

2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The imbalance we face today was conceived in colonial offices, nurtured through fraudulent ward structures and sustained by elite interference in Abuja. The Supreme Court, in Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023), has spoken with clarity and finality, ordering INEC to release the delineation result.

Colonial records and British intelligence reports leave no room for fabrication:

1935 Warri Province Intelligence Report: “The Itsekiri inhabit scattered riverbank settlements; the great swampy hinterland is occupied predominantly by the Ijaw and Urhobo.”

1948 Benin River District Political Assessment: “Ijaw villages dominate the creeks and waterways south of Warri. Itsekiri presence is minimal outside certain trading points.”

From the 1895 Niger Coast Protectorate Survey to the 1954 Warri Division Boundary Maps, no official record ever placed the entirety of Warri Federal Constituency under Itsekiri ownership. Geography is not subject to political editing; God’s design cannot be altered by cartographic fraud.

3. CURRENT CONCERNS

INEC’s refusal to release the final delineation result before Continuous Voter Registration is not administrative caution, it is political violence. It emboldens those who profit from ethnic tension and electoral imbalance.

The crises of 1997, 1999, and 2003 all share the same root cause, electoral injustice and ward manipulation favouring a politically engineered minority. Human Rights Watch, in its 2003 Niger Delta Report, warned: “Electoral inequity in Warri is not a dormant wound; it is an unhealed injury that can be reopened by administrative bias.”

We reject entirely the insult of being called “tenants” in our own homeland. The Pacheco Pereira account of 1485 and Dutch factory records of 1716 prove Ijaw territorial control decades before any Itsekiri political formation emerged. The colonial court in Ometan v. Chief Dore Numa (1926) affirmed that Itsekiri political authority was restricted to certain defined parcels, never the whole of Warri division.

4. OUR DEMANDS

In the interest of justice, peace and constitutional order, the Niger Delta People’s Development (NDPD) demands the following:

1. Immediate Publication of the Supreme Court Ordered Final Delineation Result for Warri Federal Constituency before the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

2. Full Compliance with the Judgment in Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023) without manipulation, delay or external interference.

3. Independent Monitoring by ECOWAS, AU and UN to ensure the process is transparent, fair and immune to political sabotage.

4. Federal Government Commitment to Electoral Equity in Warri by dismantling the colonial-era ward structure that artificially favours a minority group over the Ijaw and Urhobo majorities.

5. Public Access to Historical and Cartographic Records relating to Warri’s territorial boundaries to prevent further distortion of history.

CONCLUSION

The delineation result is not simply a legal obligation; it is a peacekeeping necessity and a historical correction. INEC now stands at a defining moment to choose between writing the truth into Nigeria’s electoral history or burying it again for another generation to bleed.

When the liar fears the final pronouncement, it is because the truth will shatter their empire of deceit. We are speaking that truth now. The question is whether INEC will honour it.

Signed:

Chief, Eseoghene Friday

(Chairman)

Elder, Prince Teme-owei

(Secretary)

Niger Delta People’s Development (NDPD)

Cc:

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

The National Security Adviser (NSA)

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

The Secretary-General, United Nations (UN)

The Chairperson, African Union (AU)

The President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The European Union Delegation to Nigeria

The United States Embassy, Abuja

The British High Commission, Abuja

IduwiniVoice

Protest: ‘You caused it all’ – Dele Momodu writes Tinubu

By Tobouke JEMINE

Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation Magazine, has openly criticized President Bola Tinubu for the current hardships faced by Nigerians, which have led to a planned nationwide protest.

In a letter posted on X (formerly Twitter), Momodu highlighted the struggles of ordinary Nigerians and accused Tinubu of failing to manage the complexities of running a country compared to a state.

He expressed disappointment in Tinubu’s stance against allowing peaceful protests, a right they both enjoyed during military regimes.

Momodu urged Tinubu to seek guidance from civil liberties advocates and avoid authoritarian measures, emphasizing the importance of upholding democratic rights.

Dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR),

I hope this letter finds you well. Firstly, let me commend your initiative in deploying an app to track Ministers’ performance, a step towards greater accountability and efficiency in governance, if only this is not like every other lip services.

I am writing to advocate for the urgent need for Energy Federalism in Nigeria, a strategy that could revolutionize our energy infrastructure and drive socio-economic development across the nation. Building upon the success of your app initiative, I propose a National Energy Federation Program/Project aimed at decentralizing the national grid into six standalone regional/geopolitical zone grids.

This program would involve inviting Multinational Companies to negotiate and replicate the type of Oil Mining Contracts in Power Supply, Oil Refining, and Rail/Road Constructions in coastal areas, fostering development, energy self-sufficiency in each zone, and taking a major step at resolving the centennial Niger Delta (coastal) Development Question.

For instance, agreeing with the operators of Qua-Ibo Oil Terminal to build an integrated Refinery and Powerplant close to their terminal, with rail, highway, and power transmission infrastructures connecting it to the North-East, could ensure energy (electric power and petroleum products) supply and infrastructure development in that region. Similar projects could be initiated for other regions, such as dedicating that in Bonny Oil Terminal to the North-Central, Brass Oil Terminal to the South-East, Forcados Oil Terminal to the South-South, and Escravos Oil Terminal to South-West.

The above leaves the currently generated power to the North-West, thereby suring up power supply. Moreover, mandating each of these Refineries to supply a portion of its output to the North-West.

To facilitate further/efficient funding of this program Mr. President, an Energy Investment App accessible to all Nigerians would democratize investment in these vital projects. This app would grant access to all Nigerians who are interested to invest, no matter how much or how little in this program and make a return on investment.

While this proposal may seem ambitious, it can be implemented through a phased approach, beginning with a pilot scheme in one geopolitical zone and scaling up gradually until all geopolitical zones gets reasonably improved power supply.

Permit me to mention that, the potential for human capital development from procurement, construction to operational phases cannot be overstated, presenting unprecedented opportunities for employment and skills enhancement.

Furthermore, this strategy can be replicated in other sectors of our national economy, amplifying its impact and fostering holistic development.

I urge you therefore, Mr. President, to consider this proposal seriously, as it has the potential to address longstanding energy challenges while driving inclusive growth and development across Nigeria, while not burdening the already choked up federal government expenditures.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Prince (Dr.) Peretengboro Klintin Bibaikefie,
CEO, IduwiniVoice Media Ltd.