NEWS
Fresh Crisis Looms in Warri as Ijaw Group Takes Protest to INEC Headquarters
Fresh political tension erupted on Monday as members of the Operation Rescue Ijaw Nation Crusaders staged a protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja over the delayed implementation of the Warri Federal Constituency delineation report.
The protesters, made up of Ijaw indigenes from the constituency, accused INEC of ignoring a Supreme Court judgment that ordered a fresh ward delineation exercise in Warri Federal Constituency.
Displaying placards and chanting protest songs, the demonstrators warned that the continued delay in implementing the report could affect the conduct of future elections in the area, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Addressing journalists during the protest on Monday, the Deputy Coordinator of the group, Freeborn Abraye, said the group had previously visited the commission over the same matter but had not received any concrete response.
Abraye explained that the Supreme Court directed INEC to carry out a fresh delineation exercise after allegations of political imbalance among the Ijaw, Urhobo, and Itsekiri ethnic groups in Warri Federal Constituency.
He alleged that the Ijaw and Urhobo communities had suffered years of political marginalisation in the constituency and insisted that the implementation of the report was necessary to ensure fairness and equal representation.
“The Supreme Court gave a clear directive, and INEC carried out the exercise. What we are demanding now is the full implementation of the report produced after that exercise,” he said.
He further claimed that the delay had heightened tension within the constituency and warned that the situation could worsen if the commission failed to act swiftly.
“If INEC refuses to implement the delineation report, there may be no election in Warri Federal Constituency,” Abraye warned.
Another leader of the protest, Ellington Bakumor, accused the electoral commission of disenfranchising residents of the constituency by refusing to operationalise the report despite involving representatives of all affected ethnic groups during the exercise.
Bakumor also alleged that political interests were influencing the delay and cautioned that peaceful elections could not be guaranteed if the matter remained unresolved.
In a petition submitted to INEC and signed by the group’s coordinator, Awipi Lawson, the protesters referenced the Supreme Court judgment delivered on December 2, 2022, which ordered a constitutionally compliant ward and polling unit delineation across Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West Local Government Areas.
According to the petition, the apex court ruled that no electoral process should take place in the constituency until the delineation exercise was completed and implemented.
The group noted that although INEC conducted the exercise and released a field report on April 4, 2025, the commission had yet to make the final report operational.
The protesters therefore called on INEC to immediately release and implement the report, conclude the gazetting process, and suspend every electoral activity in the constituency until full implementation was achieved.
Responding on behalf of the INEC Chairman, an Assistant Director of Security at the commission, Mohammed Ahmad, assured the protesters that their petition would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.
He added that the commission would carefully review the concerns raised and communicate its response in due course.
Chuks Nwanne, general manager of The Guardian’s Abuja operations and former Saturday editor of the newspaper, has passed on.
Eniola Daniel, a senior multimedia reporter at The Guardian, announced Nwanne’s death in an X post on Saturday.
It was gathered that Nwanne died on Saturday after a protracted illness.
Daniel described Nwanne as a “prolific entertainment writer” and his teacher, saying he would be deeply missed.
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A native of Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nwanne joined The Guardian in 2008 as an entertainment reporter.
He later became an editorial assistant at The Guardian Life Magazine, the newspaper’s weekly lifestyle publication.
Nwanne also served as assistant editor, entertainment and lifestyle, while overseeing the youth, travel and tourism sections of The Guardian on Saturday.
He held a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, and a master’s degree in communication studies from Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos.
He attended several training programmes and conferences in Nigeria and abroad.
Beyond journalism, Nwanne was the founder and creative director of the Ogbunike Cave Carnival, an annual three-day cultural festival established to promote the Ogbunike Cave, a major tourist attraction in Nigeria.
He was married and had three children.
Daniel expressed condolences to Nwanne’s family, describing his death as a loss to Ogbunike, Anambra, the music and entertainment industry, and journalism.
A road accident, involving a tanker truck conveying petroleum products opposite the Odukpani Local Government Secretariat, Cross River State, ignited a fire, leading to the destruction of several shops and affecting vehicles.
These transpired on Sunday, when the tanker accidentally overturned which led to the fire that spread to nearby shops and buildings.
Fortunately, the tanker driver was rescued and taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Cross River State Police Command said that officers from the Odukpani Division were deployed to the scene to secure the area and prevent further harm.
The Command said the Fire Service had also been alerted and was expected to deploy personnel to contain and extinguish the fire.
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As of the time of filing this report, no death has been confirmed.
However, the police said a number of shops and vehicles had been affected by the inferno.
The Command urged residents and motorists to keep away from the immediate area and allow emergency responders unhindered access to the scene.
It also advised members of the public to exercise caution around the area because of the risk posed by the burning petroleum tanker.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said further updates would be released as verified information became available.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to meaningfully engage with organised labour, alleging that the government has remained aloof despite repeated attempts to open dialogue.
Ajaero made the remarks during an appearance on the Mic On Podcast, where he spoke about the relationship between the labour movement and the Federal Government over the past few years.
According to the NLC president, the government has not been engaging with labour and only responds when workers and other groups take steps to force its attention.
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“For the past two, three years, you know, it’s not a government that is engaging. This government doesn’t engage,” Ajaero said.
He described the administration as “aloof”, stressing that meaningful engagement had been lacking between the government and organised labour.
Ajaero recalled that the NLC had, by December 17, 2025, announced plans to take its grievances to the streets after months of attempts to communicate with the President.
He said the labour movement had written to President Tinubu from June through December but received no response.
“Well, by December 17th, 2025, we pulled out that we are going to the streets. After writing a letter from May, sorry June, to December to Mr. President and there was no response,” he said.
According to him, the planned action eventually led to the intervention of some state governors, who facilitated an interface between labour and the government.
He said the intervention became necessary after other channels of communication, including the office of the Minister of Labour, had failed.
“Because the whole channel—whether through the Minister of Labour or any other office—failed, collapsed. So some governors met with us, and since that time we have talked once or twice,” Ajaero said.
However, the NLC president suggested that the situation had not significantly improved, alleging that the issues raised by labour since December had largely been left unresolved.
“And those issues… December last year to now, they’re just doing their business. Everybody is their enemy,” he added.
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