“The Crown You Wear Is Made Of Propaganda And Colonial Favor”___Says Ijaw, Urhobo Coalition Group To Olu Of Itsekiri -

By Uche Alvin

PRESS RELEASE

From: Ijaw and Urhobo Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
Title: “ENOUGH OF PROPAGANDA, ENOUGH OF DELAY — TRUTH AND JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL IN WARRI!

PROPAGANDA IS NOT OWNERSHIP — THE TRUTH CANNOT BE SILENCED!

We, the indigenous Ijaw and Urhobo peoples of Warri Federal Constituency, rise today in a protest of conscience, not of chaos. With history in our hands and justice on our side, we reject the ongoing ethnic propaganda weaponized by a small but minority group who claim what they do not own and rewrite history to fit their fiction.

Let it be known: THE ITSEKIRI THRONE IS BUILT ON COLONIAL FICTION AND FRAUDULENT CLAIMS, not ancestral legitimacy. Their desperation to dominate Warri through propaganda cannot override truth, court rulings, cartographic facts or living memory.

WE ANSWER TO HISTORY, NOT TO A FALSE CROWN!

“You met us here” that is not just a saying, it is fact.

Historical Fact:

The 1921 Intelligence Report on the Ijaw Clan of Gbaramatu, compiled by colonial officers, explicitly documents the independent existence of the Gbaramatu, Egbema and Ogbe-Ijoh Ijaw clans, long before the creation of the “Olu of Warri” title in 1952 via the Western Regional Government’s Declaration under the Chiefs Law.

Court Ruling:

In Suit No. W/48/75: Chief D. O. Eyekpimi & Ors vs. Chief E. E. Sillo & Ors, the court affirmed that Ogbe-Ijoh is an Ijaw community and not part of Itsekiri territory. This has never been overturned.

Government Gazette:

The 1976 Local Government Edict that created Warri South-West and Warri North recognized the presence and political structure of Ijaw and Urhobo wards. The manipulation of ward names and boundaries to obscure this fact is a betrayal of the Nigerian constitution and democratic principles.

THE CROWN YOU WEAR IS MADE OF PROPAGANDA AND COLONIAL FAVOUR

Let us be clear. The so-called Olu of Warri title was never a reflection of natural political geography but a colonial invention. It was institutionalized by colonial officials who preferred indirect rule through a single figure, contrary to the diverse, self-governing traditions of the region.

The 1952 Declaration under the Chiefs Law, which created the Olu as a “recognized” ruler, was an act of administrative convenience, not ethnic legitimacy. It has no ancestral claim over Ijaw or Urhobo territories.

INEC, YOU MUST NOT VALIDATE FALSEHOOD — DO YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY!

We now turn to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose continued silence over the Warri Federal Constituency ward delineation is both troubling and dangerous.

INEC conducted its fieldwork. Communities submitted evidence. Stakeholders participated. But why is the final delineation report still under lock and key? Who benefits from the delay?

Let it be on record:

The Electoral Act (2022), Section 112 mandates INEC to review and adjust ward boundaries every 10 years. The last comprehensive delineation in Warri was over 25 years ago.

Delaying this process violates the constitutionally guaranteed right to equal political representation.

WE PROTEST IN CONSCIENCE — NOT IN VIOLENCE

The world must hear us:

THE SILENT OF BETRAYAL

The silence of INEC is breeding suspicion. We cannot wait forever. This is not just about politics, it is about dignity, heritage and the future of Warri’s true owners.

OUR DEMANDS:

Immediate publication of the final ward delineation report for Warri Federal Constituency.
Public assurance by INEC that no ethnic group can suppress others through bureaucratic manipulation.
A federal reaffirmation that the Olu of Warri is not king over Ijaw and Urhobo lands.

CONCLUSION:

To the world, we say: the Ijaw and Urhobo peoples are not rebels, we are sons and daughters of the land. We are not strangers to Warri, we are its soul. And we will not be summoned or silenced by propaganda-driven royalty that rests on colonial myths.

We call on INEC, the Presidency, the National Assembly and the international community to stand with truth and to act now.

Signed,
Chief, Silas Okpoghene
Ijaw & Urhobo Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, Defenders of Ancestral Truth