The Gbaramatu Lawyers Association, the global umbrella body for legal practitioners of Gbaramatu descent, has reacted strongly to the ongoing backlash trailing the release of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s field report on the redelineation of Warri Federal Constituency.
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Friday Emotimide, Esq., and Secretary, Werisinde Timiyan, Esq., the Association declared its full backing of the Supreme Court’s judgment in SC/413/2016 (Hon. George U. Timinimi & 9 Ors v. INEC), and praised INEC for finally implementing the directive after years of delay.
The legal body, which emphasized its commitment to the rule of law and constitutional order, cautioned against further attempts to frustrate or reverse the implementation of the delineation, stating that doing so would amount to violating a final and binding pronouncement of the Supreme Court.
The group recounted the legal odyssey that began in 2011, culminating in the Supreme Court judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji on December 2, 2022, ordering a comprehensive redelineation of electoral wards and units in Warri Federal Constituency.
“That landmark decision dismantled decades of irregularities and opened the door to fair representation. Any resistance to it is resistance to justice,” the statement read.
The lawyers also decried what they described as “a coordinated campaign of lawsuits, press attacks, and ethnic smears” targeted at halting the judgment’s enforcement, adding that no amount of intimidation should derail the cause of justice.
They expressed particular concern over rising ethnic tensions and inflammatory remarks, warning that certain leaders within the Itsekiri community had taken to social media to incite violence against Gbaramatu people.
“We call on national security agencies—the NSA, DSS, Police, Army, and Navy—to investigate and bring to book all those making or sharing inciting statements,” they urged.
The Gbaramatu Lawyers Association commended INEC for releasing the report but criticized the electoral body for conducting the 2023 general elections in Warri without first complying with the Supreme Court judgment.
“INEC must now stand by its findings and resist any pressure to alter or reverse its report. Justice has prevailed; and the sky has not fallen,” the statement concluded.
