Abide by law or risk chaos, ex-Reps member tells INEC

A former member of the House of Representatives for Warri Federal Constituency, Hon. (Barr.) Temi Harriman has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to abide strictly by the law and discharge its responsibilities with credibility.

Harriman issued the charge at the weekend during the public presentation of a new book, INEC Corrupt Practices: The Siamese Twins and Warri Federal Constituency, co-authored by Chief Robinson Ariyo, Esq., the Egogo of Warri Kingdom, and Jolone Ikoni, Esq.

The launch, held at the Imperial Banquet Hall of The Lilygate Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, attracted academics, legal minds, politicians, law students, and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s democratic process.

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Harriman stressed that only adherence to the law could resolve controversies trailing INEC’s recent re-delineation of wards and polling units.

“We are not merely talking about the immediate judgment,” she said. “INEC has been told to revisit this matter because the genesis of the problem must be addressed systematically, from the ground up. Respecting the law is the only way to sustain peace. Nigeria is not a jungle.”

Describing the book as “a masterpiece and a must-read,” Harriman recalled how her late father, Chief Ofedegbe Harriman, had given her a copy of the Willinks Report as a teenager, which shaped her awareness of the fears of Nigeria’s micro-minorities.

She maintained that institutions such as INEC and the judiciary must uphold credibility to strengthen democracy.

She further advised INEC to avoid what she called “face-saving measures” and instead correct its errors, while commending the Warri Reclamation Trust for its advocacy.

Co-author Chief Robinson Ariyo, a lawyer and Egogo (spokesperson) of Warri Kingdom, linked the crisis to INEC’s alleged defiance of a 1997 interlocutory order barring it from creating 12 new wards in Warri South Local Government.

He accused the commission of “complacency,” suggesting that vested interests may have influenced its decisions.

Also speaking, Bright Omaghomi, co-convener of the Warri Reclamation Trust, decried that of the Delta South ethnic nationalities, only the Itsekiri have no senator.

He said this political imbalance made meaningful legislative progress difficult.

The event witnessed a dramatic moment when some INEC officials reportedly walked out during the heated exchanges.

Dignitaries present included Engr. Gabriel Arubi, Chief Wilbert Benson, and Dr Misan Afinotan, alongside prominent scholars, lawyers, and politicians.