Warri, Delta State – May 13, 2025, tempers flared and voices rose at a press briefing held by residents of Kusimi, Eweregbene, and Tekedor_Kusimi communities, as they condemned what they described as long-standing marginalization by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the delineation of electoral wards and polling units in Warri.
The communities, rich in culture and history, say they have been systematically excluded from electoral maps, denying thousands of eligible voters their democratic rights. Frustrated residents gathered to make a resounding call to INEC: “We are not ghosts! We exist, and we vote!”
Leading the charge was community spokesperson Mr. Jonathan Onos, who said, “For years, our people have participated in every election, yet INEC continues to act as if we do not exist on the map. This is not only unconstitutional; it is an act of systemic erasure.”
Flanked by elders, youth leaders, and women groups, Onos noted that despite meeting all the statutory requirements for recognition, Kusimi, Eweregbene, and Tekedor_Kusimi have been omitted in official documents and field mapping exercises.
“We have evidence of residents who travel miles to neighboring communities just to cast their votes. This is a form of suppression, and we will not remain silent any longer,” added Mrs. Eloho Ebiye, a youth coordinator from Eweregbene.
Holding up placards with messages such as “INEC: Our Votes Matter Too” and “End Disenfranchisement in Warri,” residents called on the commission to urgently include their communities in the ongoing delineation review.
Community elder Pa Friday Ekanem lamented, “We have written letters, sent delegates, and made appeals for years. Our patience has been mistaken for weakness. We are not fighting for privilege, we are demanding inclusion.”
The communities also decried the ripple effect of their exclusion, noting that lack of delineation affects not just voting, but access to representation, resources, and development.
“It is high time INEC and relevant authorities recognized that denying a community its political identity is akin to denying it life,” said Tekedor_Kusimi youth leader, Blessing Aganbi.
As calls for a more inclusive electoral map in Warri mount, the residents are urging INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to send a verification team to physically assess and confirm their presence.
In a final word to the press, the coalition warned that continued marginalization could ignite civil unrest. “We are peace-loving people, but peace does not mean silence in the face of injustice,” Onos concluded. Photos from the press briefing show a united front—elders, women, and youth standing shoulder to shoulder in determined protest. The message was loud and clear: no community should be invisible in a democracy.
