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From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
Leaders of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State have refuted claims by their Itsekiri counterparts that the Ijaw people of Ogbe-Ijoh are not part of Warri South LGA.
Addressing a news conference at Olabrakopre Community in Warri South Local Government Area, over the weekend, the leaders stated that the fact that the Ijaw areas were balkanised into polling units does not mean that the Ijaw do not exist in Warri South LGA.
The leaders, in a press statement read by Hon. Denbo-Denbofa Oweikpodor, identified as the Ijaw Focal Person, alongside Comrade Moses Fiyebor, threw their weight behind the May 20, 2026, INEC wards and polling units delineation report, which was implemented following a Supreme Court judgment (Suit No. SC/413/2016).
They described the exercise as fair, thorough and reflective of the realities on the ground. They accused some top Itsekiri political figures of leveraging their political influence to frustrate the implementation of the new proposal.
Specifically, the Ijaw leaders alleged that a top politician of Itsekiri heritage is leading efforts to pressure INEC into withdrawing the newly allocated wards for Ijaw communities in Warri South.
Warning of the dangerous precedent of such interference, the group invoked the memories of the bloody Warri crisis (1997–2003) – which was triggered by the relocation of a local government headquarters – cautioning that the current political maneuvering could easily destabilize the fragile peace in the area.
“We, the Ijaw people of Warri South, welcome the final report of the fresh delineation exercise which was released by INEC to stakeholders in Asaba, Delta State on Wednesday, the 20th day of May, 2026.
“The INEC final report, to a very large extent, reflects the reality on ground and we commend the commission for doing a very thorough job. We also accept the delineation of the Ijaw electoral wards and registration areas into Warri South Constituency II of the Delta State House of Assembly,” the statement read.
The group, however, said it was necessary to correct what it described as “misconceptions” allegedly being promoted by the Itsekiri ethnic nationality concerning the existence and status of Ijaw communities in Warri South Local Government Area.
“The fact that the Ijaw areas were balkanised into polling units, marginalised and denied political representation does not mean that the Ijaws do not exist in Warri South Local Government Area,” the statement declared.
To back their claims of deep-rooted indigeneity, the Ijaw leaders presented a catalog of historical and legal documentation, including the 1928 Warri Township Assessment Report, a colonial document by Mr. Prethoroe identifying “Ogbe-Ijoh” as the original nucleus around which modern Warri developed.
The Ijaw leaders said the issue had earlier been raised during stakeholders’ meetings organised by INEC and had already been addressed by the electoral commission.
They stated that, during meetings involving INEC officials and representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic nationalities at the Government House Annex in Warri, on July 8, 2024, it was resolved that the Ijaw people were an integral part of Warri South LGA based on available intelligence reports, physical communities on ground and existing polling units.
The statement noted that INEC subsequently assigned field officers specifically to Ijaw communities during the delineation exercise carried out between July 10 and July 19, 2024.
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According to the group, the officers covered Ijaw settlements that now constitute the newly created Ewein Ward 07, Bulou-Ama Ward 02, Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban Ward 12 and parts of GRA Ward 08.
The Ijaw leaders argued that the delineation of electoral wards in their areas was not a new development but a restoration of structures that had existed historically before the 1976 local government reforms.
The statement referenced the 1955 Western Region Laws of Nigeria No. 177 establishing the then Warri Urban District Council, which, according to the group, recognised four autonomous Ijaw wards identified as Alders Town B3, Ogbe-Ijoh Ward C1, Ogbe-Ijoh Ward C2 and Government Area F1.
The group further relied on historical records, including the 1928 Warri Township Assessment Report prepared by Mr. Prethoroe, which described Ogbe-Ijoh as the original settlement around which present-day Warri developed.
Quoting from the report, the Ijaw leaders said: “The original settlement, which in due course became the nucleus around which the population settled, was known as OGBE-IJOH.”
The group also referred to a 1923 letter written by Chief Dore Numa to the resident of Warri Province as additional evidence supporting the historical presence of the Ijaw people in Warri township.
According to the statement, the restructuring of local government administration in 1976 led to the balkanisation of previously existing homogeneous Ijaw wards into minority polling units spread across Pessu, GRA, Bowen and Okere wards.
The Ijaw leaders alleged that the development weakened their political representation and denied them adequate participation in local administration.
It cited the Chiefs Law of 1957, the 1979 Bendel State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict, as well as the Delta State Traditional Rulers, Chiefs and Council Law, which recognised the Amaokosu of Ogbe-Ijoh as the prescribed authority over Ogbe-Ijoh lands and people.
The statement further referenced Appeal No. CA/AS/441/2016, decided on June 5, 2023, which it said affirmed the distinct status of Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom within Warri metropolis.
On claims of court victories by the Itsekiri over Ogbe-Ijoh lands, the Ijaw leaders insisted that no judgment existed granting radical title over Ijaw lands in Warri metropolis to the Itsekiri ethnic nationality.
“It is important to state that the Itsekiris have no judgment against the Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh which confers radical title on them over Ogbe-Ijoh lands in Warri metropolis or anywhere else,” the statement said.
The Ijaw leaders warned that attempts to reverse the delineation exercise could create tension and destabilise the peace in Warri.
The Ijaw leaders, however, argued that their communities deserved more electoral wards than those presently created by INEC, insisting that if they had four wards as far back as 1955, it was only fair for the number to increase decades later.
“We, therefore, call for the creation of more electoral wards and state constituency for Ijaws in Warri South LGA and also urge INEC to disregard frivolous protests against the delineation exercise in Warri South LGA,” the statement added.
