RE: FALSEHOOD ABOUT WARRI NORTH AND THE HISTORICAL TRUTH OF IJAW MAJORITY IN EGBEMA KINGDOM -

By Uche Alvin

OPEN LETTER TO THE DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT

RE: FALSEHOOD ABOUT WARRI NORTH AND THE HISTORICAL TRUTH OF IJAW MAJORITY IN EGBEMA KINGDOM

From: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
Date: [16/8/2025]

Introduction: Government Must Not Be a Conduit of Falsehood

Dear Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State,
We read with outrage the recent misrepresentation by your administration claiming that Warri North Local Government Area is “predominantly inhabited by the Itsekiri.” This is false, misleading, and a reckless distortion of history.

The 1999 Constitution binds every arm of government to truth and equity:

S.14(2)(b): “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

S.42(1): forbids ethnic discrimination in state action.

S.17(2)(a),(d): demands equality and forbids exploitation of human and natural resources against communities.

Your government’s post violates these provisions by attempting to erase the majority status of the Ijaw people of Egbema Kingdom in Warri North.

Historical Truth: Warri North is Dual, Not Exclusive

Warri North is made up of two traditional kingdoms:

Egbema Kingdom (Ijaw)
Itsekiri Kingdom

It is therefore a constitutional and historical fraud to present the LGA as if it belongs exclusively to the Itsekiri.

British Intelligence Reports (1936, 1951) confirm that Egbema Ijaws constitute the majority population in Warri North.

Early European accounts such as Pacheco Pereira (1505) describe Egbema and other Ijaw groups as dominant along the Benin and Escravos Rivers.

Even colonial census records (1921, 1931, 1952, 1963) confirm Ijaw numerical dominance across Warri territories.

Geography and Settlement Facts

The physical landmass of Warri North betrays this false narrative:

Egbema Ijaw communities (e.g., Opuama, Tsekelewu, Ogbudugbudu, Ogbinbiri and others) occupy vast swamp and riverine territories of the LGA.

The Itsekiri communities, though significant, do not outnumber the Egbema Ijaws.

Court records and colonial leases show Ijaw communities consistently recognized as landowners, while others were settlers or tenants.

The Fraud of Manufactured Itsekiri Majority

For decades, colonial distortions and post-independence manipulation inflated Itsekiri status. The fraudulent “6–4” ward allocation (six wards to Itsekiri, four to Ijaw) exemplifies this injustice.

The Supreme Court in Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023) has already pronounced this structure unconstitutional, unjust, and illegal. INEC has verified through fieldwork in the creeks and communities. The only step left is publication.

Our Warning to the State Government

Governor Oborevwori, government cannot function on falsehood. To continue to project Itsekiri exclusivity in Warri North is to deliberately incite tension between communities and to disregard constitutional order.

As Justice Nnamani once ruled: “Equity will not allow the law to be used as an instrument of fraud.” By pushing a false narrative, your administration risks being complicit in the very fraud equity forbids.

Our Demand: Tell the Truth and Obey the Law
Delta State Government: Retract and correct your false claim. Acknowledge the dual reality of Warri North, Egbema Ijaw and Itsekiri.
Federal Government: Direct INEC to publish the Supreme Court–ordered delineation result without further delay.
Public and International Community: Reject state-sponsored propaganda that erases the Ijaw majority and sustains political fraud.
Conclusion: Truth vs Falsehood

Ijaw (Egbema): Majority, ancestral landowners of Warri North.

Itsekiri: Minority, co-inhabitants but not exclusive claimants.

The Supreme Court has spoken. INEC has verified. Only publication remains.

As Thomas Paine warned: “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” INEC’s silence and your government’s propaganda will not bury the truth.

Signed

Chief Tiemopere Joshua
(President)

Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime
(Secretary)

Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency

CC:

The Presidency

The National Assembly

The National Security Adviser

United Nations, AU, EU