Ijala Communities Threaten Oil Shutdown Over Ward Delineation

Four oil-producing communities in the Ijala axis of Warri South Local Government Area, Delta State, have threatened to shut down major oil facilities, including the Obodo Flow Station and Warri Refinery Jetty, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fails to create a separate electoral ward for them in the ongoing ward delineation exercise.

The communities — Ifiekporo, Aja-Etan, Ikeren and Utunwa — made the threat during a press conference on Sunday, insisting that their demand for an Ijala Ward is “non-negotiable” given their estimated population of about 300,000 people and their status as hosts to major oil firms, tank farms and petroleum infrastructure.

Reading the press statement on behalf of the communities, Pa Michael Domino, accused INEC of excluding the area from proposed new wards despite its population growth and economic importance.

Other speakers at the briefing, including Pa Williams Ejegi, Mrs Abigail Tonukarin, Ifiekporo Community Elders Council member Francis Eyifoma, Alfred Edon and Aja-Etan youth leader Tuoyo Ebigbeyi, also backed the demand, arguing that the communities had suffered years of political marginalisation despite their economic contributions to the state and the nation.

Ebigbeyi warned that residents could halt operations at strategic oil installations if the demand was ignored, declaring that “anything short of giving us the ward will not be accepted.”

The protest comes amid lingering controversies over INEC’s ward delineation exercise in the Warri federal constituency.

While recent presidential intervention resolved disputes in Warri North and Warri South-West through a power-sharing arrangement between Ijaw and Itsekiri stakeholders, community leaders said Warri South appears to have been left out of the settlement, prompting fresh agitation for political representation.