The Ijaw speaking people of Ogbe-Ijoh -Warri kingdom have described as ignorance the protest by Itsikiri people against the fresh delineation of Warri Federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

They stressed that the “delineation of electoral wards and polling units to cover the Ijaw areas in Warri Urban is not a new development, but has been in existence for decades even before those protesting were born.”

Briefing journalists in Warri on Friday, the Ogbe-Ijoh people whose statement was read by Chief Monday Keme, the Principal Secretary to Amaokosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom, said “the recent exercise only seeks to correct an obvious injustice where the Ijaws in Warri South LGA are delineated into different polling units and denied representation in the Warri South LGA administration.”

The Ogbe-Ijoh people, while making reference to a Supreme Court ruling which ordered delineation, stressed that whether Ogbe-Ijoh is part or Warri or not is an issue that had been settled, adding that even the Itsekiri knows this.

“The delineation of electoral wards and polling units to cover the Ijaw areas in Warri Urban is not a new development, but has been in existence for decades even before those protesting were born.

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“It is important to note with specific reference to the Supreme Court ordered delineation that, the issue of whether the Ogbe-Ijoh (Ijaw) people are part of Warri South Local Government Area or not was raised at the INEC stakeholders meeting by the Itsekiris, reflected in the minutes of stakeholders meetings and it was dealt with by the stakeholders in the said meetings by resolving that from available intelligence reports, legal documents, physical communities on ground and existing electoral polling units, the Ogbe-Ijoh (Ijaw) people are integral part of Warri South Local Government, but denied electoral representation by not having homogenous electoral wards of their own, but balkanised into different polling units in different wards in Warri South LGA.

“The Itsekiris too admitted this fact.
It was on this basis that, at the stakeholders meeting of Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo held on 8th of July, 2024 at Government House Annex, Warri preparatory to starting the Fieldwork in Warri South LGA, a team of INEC Field Officers were assigned to the Ijaw areas in Warri South LGA, just as INEC Field Officers were assigned to the Itsekiri and Urhobo areas.

“Furthermore, the INEC field officers assigned to the Ijaw areas were the only ones who covered the Ijaw areas by the proposed Ewein, Bulouama, Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban and part of GRA wards of Warri South LGA.

“The INEC field officers assigned to Itsekiri and Urhobo areas did not and could not have covered these areas because they are indigenous Ijaw communities, where the Ijaws reside in the knowledge of all persons and authorities.”

“These facts are known to the Itsekiri leaders and especially those who participated in the INEC fieldwork, but are not telling the public.”

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Further going memory lane, the Ogbe-Ijoh people said it is in record that they first settled in Warri.

“For historical purposes and to educate younger Itsekiri people who do not know the founding history of Warri, Ogbe-Ijoh is recorded as the first settlement in the present Warri Urban along the Ogbe-Ijoh-Warri River (otherwise known as the Warri anchorage) in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

“Indeed, the present Warri started from Ogbe-Ijoh. In 1955, when the first local administrative structure was established and electoral delineation done in Warri Urban, the Ogbe-Ijoh (Ijaw) people were included in the Warri Urban District Council together with a section of Urhobo and Itsekiri as defined by Western Region Laws of Nigeria No 177 of 1955.

“The said law created four autonomous electoral wards for the Ijaw people of Ogbe-Ijoh, which were– Alders town B3, Ogbe-Ijoh Ward C1, Ogbe-Ijoh Ward C2 and Government Area F1. This structure with elected Ogbe-Ijoh Councillors remained operational till sometime in 1976, when the Olusegun Obasanjo’s Military Government introduced local Government reforms giving birth to the present local Government structure.

“The defunct Warri Urban District Council is today known as the Warri South Local Government Council. 
It is important to note that, before the introduction of Local Government administration, there were Seven (7) District Councils in the Warri area, including the Warri Urban District Council, which was only the Warri main City.

“But the Ode-Itsekiri District Council which was not part of the Warri Urban District Council was included to make up the present Warri South LGA.”

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The Ogbe-Ijoh further stated that “contrary to the false impression being created by the Itsekiris, the Ijaw areas have always been separated from the Itsekiri areas in Warri Urban.

“It is for this reason that, the Chiefs Law of 1957, CAP 19, provides that, the authority of the Itsekiri monarch, the Olu of Warri excludes Ogbe-Ijoh Areas.

“The 1979 Bendel State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict, B.S.L.N 44, described the Amaokosu of Ogbe-Ijoh as the prescribed authority of Ogbe-Ijoh lands and people in Warri metropolis.

“This meant that, all the lands of the Ijaw of Ogbe-Ijoh are excluded from claims by the Itsekiri people.

“Furthermore, the Delta State Traditional Rulers, Chiefs and Council Law, Vol. 3, now cap T3 Laws of Delta State, 2006 recognizes four Clans in Warri Metropolis: Itsekiri Kingdom, where the Olu is the prescribed authority, Okere-Urhobo Kingdom where the Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo is the prescribed authority, Agbassa Kingdom where the Ovie of Agbarha is the prescribed authority and the Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom where the Amaokosu of Ogbe-Ijoh is the prescribed authority of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom in Warri metropolis.

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“The purpose of the above laws is to the effect that, the Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom and their lands in Warri metropolis in Warri South Local Government Area are excluded from the claim of the Itsekiri people.

“This position has been confirmed by the Court of Appeal in Appeal No CA/AS/441/2016 in a judgement delivered on the 5th of June, 2023.”

The Ogbe-Ijoh people, while commending INEC for commencing the “delineation process despite series of litigation against the Commission by the Itseikiri,” and being “fair to all the ethnic nationalities and stakeholders,” urged the commission to create more wards for them, arguing that by their population and land mass, they deserved such.

“We, therefore, call for the creation of more electoral wards for Ijaws in Warri Urban and also urge the Independent National Electoral Commission to disregard frivolous protests against the delineation exercise in Warri South LGA by the Itsekiris.

“We wish to call on the INEC for creation of additional wards and state Constituency for the Ijaws of Warri South. This is predicated on the ground that the Itsekiris and Urhobos already have their own State Constituencies in the Warri South,” they added.