The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released its long-awaited delineation proposal for the Warri Federal Constituency in Delta State, two years after completing the exercise ordered by the Supreme Court.

New Telegraph reports that the development, which was announced during an emergency stakeholders’ meeting in Asaba on Wednesday, is expected to calm rising tensions among ethnic groups in the area following threats of election boycotts and disruption of oil operations.

The representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities attended the meeting where the commission formally presented the report.

INEC also proposed the creation of additional constituencies for the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups in Warri North and Warri South-West, subject to approval by the National Assembly through constitutional amendment.

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The new arrangement is expected to address long-standing disputes over political representation in the Warri Federal Constituency.

Under the proposal, the Urhobo and Ijaw groups will share State Constituency I in Warri South, while the Itsekiri ethnic group will occupy a separate State Constituency.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Delta State, Etekamba Umoren, alongside a Supervising National Electoral Commissioner, presided over the emergency meeting where the report was presented to stakeholders.

According to details contained in the proposal, Warri North I, which is predominantly occupied by the Itsekiri ethnic group, was allocated 10 wards, while Warri North II, largely populated by Ijaw communities, also received 10 wards.

In Warri South-West, the Itsekiri-dominated Constituency II was allocated seven wards, while the Ijaw-dominated Constituency I received 13 wards.

The report further showed that Warri South would have a total of 20 wards distributed among the three major ethnic groups — Urhobo with nine wards, Itsekiri with eight wards and Ijaw with three wards.