INEC’s Plot to Create Non Existent Ijaw Communities and Wards in Warri South Unacceptable says Comr Eboma Tuoyo Michael Secretary Of Itsekiri youths Elites (IYE)
Comr Eboma Tuoyo Michael Secretary of both Okere community and Itsekiri youths Elites (IYE) in his article via his Facebook wall states “it is preposterous and totally unacceptable that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) is being used as a tool to shortchange Itsekiris and engage in land grabbing of Warri lands. It is very evident from the Proposed Ward Delineation Report of Warri Federal Constituency that INEC created fictitious Ijaw Communities and three Ijaw wards in Warri South where Ijaws have no Ward and Community; carved out from Okere, Ugbori and Pessu Communities, all Itsekiri known areas.
It is even more terrifying that INEC blatantly disobeyed judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction in favour of the Itsekiris against the Ijaws residing in Warri South. Thus, a Federal High Court banned Ijaw indigenes residing in Warri from contesting ownership of lands in Warri South as the Supreme Court had since 1964 laid such matter to rest.
Moreover, this particular court judgement was given by Hon. Justice Marshall Mukoro in 2013 where he dismissed the application for joinder by the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh in a land case involving the Okere community and the Delta State Government, claiming to be the rightful owner of the land in dispute. The people of Okere community dragged the state government to court over alleged forceful acquisition of their land measuring 3.197 hectares situated at the community which the government has currently built a model primary school on for public interest.
However, the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh, led by one Barrister Clarkson Aribogha, applied to be joined in the suit as defendants, claiming ownership of same parcel of land in a 20 paragraph affidavit, saying that the land was founded by one Ewein, the founder of Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom at a time now beyond human memory. Even with this, INEC went ahead to create Communities for Ijaws residing in Warri and wards for them which where originally wards for Itsekiri people.
The allegation of corruption and tribalism against the INEC officials who carried out this exercise to favour Ijaws in Warri as against the original owners of Warri is now making more sense. They did the exercise with high level of bias and partiality to technical edge Itsekiris out and favour the Ijaws who had been banned from claiming land ownership in Warri by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Even with these issues staring INEC in the face, the commission went ahead to create three wards in Miller Waterside, Dore Market and Warri Corner axis carved out of Itsekiri lands. INEC does not have the legal right to create Communities, but they did that just to create wards in the said proposed report for Ijaws who resided in these Itsekiri areas as refugees after the Warri crisis.
In conclusion, the irregularities done by INEC to shortchange the Itsekiri people in favour of the Ijaws residing in Warri South in the proposed Ward Delineation Report of Warri Federal Constituency will definitely not work. Itsekiri indigenes both at home and in diaspora will continue to resist and reject this abberation done by INEC. The Government has to intervene in this matter to salvage this quagmire which may degenerate into serious unrest in Warri. EFCC has to investigate the INEC officials who carried out this illegality for corruption. This proposed report by INEC will not work.
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