—Urges Stakeholders to Focus on Development, Not Ethnic Division
High Chief Michael Johnny, Agadiwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Ijaw Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Delta State, and former Chairman of the Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation (EGCDF), has refuted allegations by Chief Ayiri Emami against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the recently concluded fresh Ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency.
In a statement released on Sunday, August 10, 2025, Chief Johnny described Emami’s claims as misleading and entirely false, stressing that INEC acted within the bounds of the law and in line with the Supreme Court’s directive.
“INEC cannot be intimidated or blackmailed into tampering with the field work reports already concluded in Warri Federal Constituency,” he declared.
Johnny clarified that the delineation was carried out based on verified field data, focusing on population, communities, and geographic realities, without bias.
“There is nothing like ‘projected census’ in the Electoral Act or in the National Population Commission. The outcome only confirmed what is already known: that the Ijaws are the majority in Warri Federal Constituency,” he added.
He dismissed Emami’s accusations regarding Ward allocation, reiterating that INEC is not in the business of sharing political representation, but rather implementing facts on ground.
Johnny called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, and the Inspector General of Police to disregard what he called Emami’s “outbursts,” and instead focus on unity and development across ethnic lines in Warri.
“The Gbaramatu man is not responsible for the underdevelopment in Itsekiri land, and the Itsekiri man is not responsible for underdevelopment in Gbaramatu land. Our common enemy is underdevelopment,” he emphasized.
Read full statement below:
