Fresh political unease in Warri over marginalisation

WARRI, the honey comb of the Delta State axis of the Niger Delta, is currently on the boil again. This time, the frontline appears to be shifting from Warri South- West Local Government Area, where the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijor were locked in a protracted battle with their Irsekiri neighbours over the headquarters of the council area, to Warri North Local Government Area.

The Ijaws of Egbema Kingdom in Warri North, are spoiling for a renewed political war in Warri over what they described as their ‘’provocative and unconstitutional exclusion’’ from participating in the state government.

Leaders of Egbema General Assembly, a socio-cultural group, are said to be alleging that their Governor, Dr, Emmanuel Uduaghan, an Irsekiri, who hails from Abigborodo, in Warri North, has been making appointments from the council area in favour of his Itsekiri kinsmen.

According to the fuming Ijaws of Egbema Kingdom, ‘’the person represnting Warri North in our state House of Assembly is Mrs. Irene Imila, an Irsekiri. All the appointments so far made by Governor Uduaghan from our local governments area are Irsekiris. They are Mrs. Shola Wiltiams, a commissioner, Solomon Areyenka, Chief of Staff, Olatilewa Edward, Special Adviser, Dr. Emmanuel Tetsola, member of the state civil service commission and several others”.

Continuing, they alleged that all the 413 staff of the Warri North Local Government are Irsekiris.

These facts were disclosed yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, at a meeting of the Egbema Movement for Justice (EMJ), a civil society group. President of the group, Mr. Robinson Uroupa, who spoke to some reporters shortly after their meeting claimed that they met in Port Harcourt to perfect their position for Ijaw leaders' meeting on Toru-Ebe State Movement billed for Thursday in Delta state.

 Already, Egbema civil rights activists are accusing Governor Uduaghan of violating Section 14 (3) and (4) of the 1999 constitution.

Accounding to them, ‘’our exclusion from the affairs of the state and local governments, is a complete breach and violation of the provisions of the peace agreement we reached on June 15, 2004 during the Warri crisis’’.

''Paragraph five of the peace deal states that no ethnic group, kingdom, clan, person in the three Warri council areas should marginalise one another. Paragraph 14 also states that there should be proper representation of the Irsekiri and Ijaw ethnrc groups in Warri'', Uroupa said.

Continuing, he added, ''what we are saying is well known to leaders of the Egbema socio-culttural group. Our National Chairman, Chief Abel Ugedi,  National Secretary Midwest Kukuru, Chief Godwin Oligoro, chief Augustine Ukulor, JP. Dickson Asoki, and Morrison Egin are all aware of the matter we are rising''.

‘’We have been bearing this injustice for 17 years and so, we are saying enough is enough. The Ijaws have been voting for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 100 percent. The Irsekiri on the other hand have always split their votes into two political parties and yet, they are the most favoured, “ he said.