Rebuttal To Itsekiri Youth Press Statement: Historical Distortion, Legal Fallacies And Political Blackmail Unmasked -

By Uche Alvin

REBUTTAL TO THE ITSEKIRI YOUTH PRESS STATEMENT: HISTORICAL DISTORTIONS, LEGAL FALLACIES & POLITICAL BLACKMAIL UNMASKED

Issued by Concerned Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
Date: July 26, 2025

We have read with deep irritation and justified contempt, the incoherent and ill-advised press statement released by a group masquerading as Itsekiri youth, who, in their desperation, have chosen to paddle blatant lies, historical distortions and legal falsehoods without the slightest regard for truth, decency or even the fear of God.

Their words reek not only of ignorance but of an arrogant entitlement rooted in colonial deceit, a reckless attempt to rewrite facts in favour of a dying narrative. They speak loudly, but they do not speak rightly. They write forcefully but not truthfully.

To package propaganda as patriotism, to weaponize youth activism as a cloak for ethnic supremacy and to spew lies in the name of a people whose hands are already stained with decades of land grabbing and political manipulation, is not just unfortunate, it is unforgivable.

If they had even a moment of introspection or an ounce of respect for truth, they would be too ashamed to issue such an intellectually lazy and morally bankrupt document called press release

I. “WE REJECT THE INEC DELINEATION”: THE CRY OF A DEFEATED MINORITY

You claim to seek justice under the “extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” yet you brazenly reject the constitutional duty of INEC as enshrined in Section 73–74 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 112–114 of the Electoral Act, 2022. INEC acted lawfully. It went to the field. It conducted empirical, population-driven delineation based on the present realities of settlements, population growth and polling unit saturation.

INEC’s duty is not to favor any tribe, no matter how loudly they shout “discrimination.” It is to ensure equitable representation and the facts today prove beyond doubt that the Ijaw and Urhobo populations in Warri Federal Constituency far outnumber the Itsekiris, whose ancient dominance was built not on democracy but on colonial favoritism.

II. “WE REJECT BABA BILA AND PROFESSOR RHODA GUMUS”: YOU REJECT DUE PROCESS

You call for a new committee because you disagree with their findings, not because they violated any law. INEC followed its standard procedures. The field reports were conducted across Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri communities and you were present. You did not reject the process then. You only began crying foul when the outcome exposed your numerical inferiority.

Let it be known: “Nemo judex in causa sua” cannot be invoked against officials performing statutory duties unless bias is proven. You offer no proof, just tribal paranoia.

III. “IJAW WARDS INFLATED”: HISTORICAL LIES UNVEILED

Let us remind the world:

The Ijaws are the original inhabitants of Gbaramatu, Ogbe-Ijoh, Isaba, Diebiri, Egbema, Egbokodo and several others, long before Ginuwa the fugitive prince washed up on the shores of Ode-Itsekiri in 1480.

Captain Pullen’s Intelligence Report (1908) documented the Ijaw dominance of the creeks in Warri South-West and Warri North, particularly around Escravos, Olero and Benin River.

The 1926 Provincial Gazette listed Ogbe-Ijoh and Gbaramatu as autonomous native administrations, not Itsekiri territories.

The Supreme Court ruling in Atake v. Apena & Ors (1994) 9 NWLR (Pt.368) 379 reaffirmed that land ownership and ward creation are not determined by ethnic titles but population and settlement patterns.

It is public knowledge that Ijaw areas like Gbaramatu and Ogbe-Ijoh alone contain more than 45 oil flow stations, dozens of communities and polling units, more than Itsekiris in the same LGA. You had 6 wards when we had 4 because you controlled power, not population. Today, justice has come. Deal with it.

IV. “THE IJAWS HAVE NO LAND IN WARRI SOUTH”: A FALSEHOOD FROM A FAKE CROWN

This is perhaps your boldest lie yet. Let us correct the record:

Ogbe-Ijoh town is in Warri South LGA, not Warri South-West, and is a recognized headquarters of Warri South-West LGA, which proves you wrong by geography and law.

In Chief E. E. Sillo & Ors. v. Chief Dore Numa & Ors. (1934), the Privy Council held that the Olu or Dore Numa could not claim overlordship over Ijaw lands in Warri.

In Suit No. W/148/61: Chief E. E. Sillo & Ors v. O. O. Numa, it was established that Ogbe-Ijoh land belongs to the Ogbe-Ijoh people, not the Olu of Warri or any Itsekiri chief.

The Itsekiri land title in Warri South was created not by history but by military conquest and colonial protection, a point noted by Major A. R. L. Glover (1943): “The Itsekiris were placed over people they neither owned nor outnumbered.”

V. NO COURT HAS EVER BANNED THE IJAWS FROM CONTESTING LAND IN WARRI SOUTH

It is with seething indignation and unshakable truth that we address the latest insult laced in historical ignorance and legal dishonesty, the claim that Ijaws have been barred by a competent court from contesting land ownership in Warri South, and that we have no single community therein.

This lie must be buried, not just with words but with facts, legal records, and ancestral bloodlines that long predate any “Olu of Warri” or Itsekiri invention.

The Itsekiri keep repeating this fabrication like a mantra hoping it becomes truth. But truth is not built on repetition, it is built on record.

There is no ruling by any High Court, Appeal Court or Supreme Court that bars the Ijaw people from asserting ownership or customary claims in Warri South LGA.

In fact, court history affirms the contrary.

Suit No. W/89/71 — Eyin Pessu & Ors v. Chief Numa & Ors (1971):
The court held that “The entire Warri territory cannot be said to belong exclusively to the Itsekiris.”
This judgment completely debunks the narrative of Itsekiri exclusivity over Warri lands.

Ogbe-Ijoh vs. Warri Traditional Council & Others (1983–2002):
Series of cases challenging the encroachment of Itsekiri into Ogbe-Ijoh lands were not struck out for lack of jurisdiction or standing, but dealt with on merit, thereby affirming the locus standi of Ijaws in Warri South.

So where is this “bar” the Itsekiris are shouting about? It doesn’t exist, not in any gazette, not in any legal library, not in any judgment book.

VI. “INEC’S REPORT IS FRAUDULENT”: YET YOU OFFER NO ALTERNATIVE FACTS

You allege fraud but provide no map, no counter-survey, no population data, no polling unit analysis, nothing but emotion and propaganda. Yet INEC published settlement-based data from the field, including physical verification, satellite imagery and community inputs.

Where is your own alternative data?
INEC’s job is not to guard your tribal pride, it is to reflect demographic and electoral realities and the current proposal does that.

VIII. THE NSA HAS NO BUSINESS INTERFERING IN INEC’s CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE — INEC ACTED ON SUPREME COURT AUTHORITY IN SC.13/2003: TIMINIMI VS INEC

Let it be made crystal clear: The Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) is not, has never been and can never become part of INEC’s legal or constitutional framework. The NSA has zero jurisdiction over electoral boundary delineation. Any interference is not only illegal but an assault on Nigeria’s democracy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acted fully within the powers granted to it under Section 73 of the 1999 Constitution and in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment in Suit No. SC.13/2003 — Timinimi vs INEC, which upheld INEC’s exclusive authority to create, review and implement ward delineations without political or tribal interference.

Let the record reflect that Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri stakeholders were all consulted and represented during the INEC field exercises. No tribe was excluded. No one was blindfolded. All were involved.

Therefore, the sudden outcry by Itsekiri elements and their palace puppets is not about justice, it is about losing grip on a monopoly built on colonial gerrymandering and military-era manipulation.

If the NSA truly seeks peace, it should redirect its energy toward the Itsekiri elite, whose track record includes:

Incitement of uninformed youths to violence

Gunrunning operations in Asaba and Warri

Drug trafficking networks cloaked as “security volunteers”

Violent threats against national institutions over a lawful democratic process

Let it be known: this country cannot be held hostage by one ethnic group’s refusal to accept democratic equity. No tribe is above the law. No crown is above the Constitution. And no federal office must be used to sanitize injustice.

If the NSA is serious about peace, then it must call the Olu of Itshekiri and his agents to order, not INEC.

IX & X. “WE WILL SHUT DOWN IOCs”: THIS IS ECONOMIC TERRORISM, NOT DIALOGUE

This is a direct threat to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You have declared economic war because a democratic institution did not bend to your lies. That is economic blackmail, sabotage and treasonable felony under Section 40 of the Criminal Code Act.

Let the NSA, DSS and Presidency take notice: no tribe can hold Nigeria hostage over ward delineation. Your desperation reeks of fear, fear of finally standing on a level playing field.

XI. “WE REJECT POLLING UNIT ‘GREEK GIFTS’”: YOU’RE REJECTING PROGRESS

It is not a Greek gift; it is an equalizer. For decades, Itsekiris disproportionately enjoyed more polling units than the Ijaws and Urhobos despite the Ijaws having more voters. What you fear now is competition in a real democracy. You are addicted to unmerited advantage.

XII. “WE DEMAND TOTAL REVIEW”: YOU WANT TO REWRITE FIELD REPORTS TO SUIT YOUR MINORITY AGENDA

INEC did its job. You were consulted. You sent representatives. They signed attendance sheets. The field officers visited Gbaramatu, Ogbe-Ijoh, Orere, Egbema, Egbokodo, Ubefan, Diebiri and over 100 communities. The results are not forged, they are simply not flattering to your long-held Illusion of majority

CONCLUSION: THE TRUTH IS STRONGER THAN PROPAGANDA

This is not 1920 when Lugard could gift you overlordship. This is 2025. The Ijaw and Urhobo people of Warri have awakened, organized and pursued their rights through legal, democratic and peaceful means.

Your threats will not change the map.
Your lies will not change the law.
Your crocodile tears will not suppress the voice of justice.

INEC, DSS, PRESIDENCY, TAKE NOTE:

The Ijaw and Urhobo people are the majority in Warri Federal Constituency and they have waited long enough.

Ward delineation is a constitutional right, not a tribal negotiation.

Any delay or reversal will be seen as ethnic appeasement and injustice.

Let the map speak. Let the numbers speak. Let the truth prevail.

Signed:
Chief Tiemopere Joshua
(President)

Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime
(Secretary)

Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency

Cc:

INEC Chairman

NSA