{"id":4419,"date":"2025-07-16T14:26:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/16\/breaking-delta-ijaw-stakeholders-group-sends-powerful-message-to-inec-demands-for-immediate-announcement-implementation-of-warri-federal-constituency-ward-delineation-report\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:26:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:26:56","slug":"breaking-delta-ijaw-stakeholders-group-sends-powerful-message-to-inec-demands-for-immediate-announcement-implementation-of-warri-federal-constituency-ward-delineation-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/16\/breaking-delta-ijaw-stakeholders-group-sends-powerful-message-to-inec-demands-for-immediate-announcement-implementation-of-warri-federal-constituency-ward-delineation-report\/","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Delta Ijaw Stakeholders Group Sends Powerful Message To INEC, Demands For Immediate Announcement, Implementation Of Warri Federal Constituency Ward Delineation Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Uche Alvin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Letter to INEC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAR OF TRUTH AND THE WOUND OF LIES: WHY THE ERA OF MANIPULATION MUST END IN WARRI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Heartfelt Publication by the Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency to INEC
Date: July 16, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The truth has bled for too long. Beneath the creeks of Warri, the winds whisper a long-silenced history, yearning to break free from the chains of manipulation and falsehood. We are at a historic crossroad, one that demands courage, not compromise, clarity, not confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, a carefully constructed myth has masqueraded as fact, that the Itsekiris are the sole owners of Warri, that the Olu of Warri is a king over lands and peoples who never pledged him allegiance, that the Ijaws and Urhobos are mere squatters in their ancestral territories. These are not just lies, they are wounds inflicted upon truth and justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But time, like history, is a stubborn judge. And the era of fraudulent tactics, deceptive legal gymnastics, historical forgery and ethnic manipulation must give way to fact, to the future, to the spirit of the Nigerian constitution and to the principles of democratic equality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let it be known that the Ijaws of Warri were here before the crown arrived, before the Itsekiris crossed the Bight of Benin, and long before British officers drew artificial lines to ease indirect rule. The Olu of Warri, originally styled as Olu of Itsekiri, was never king over Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Isaba, Diebiri, Egbema or the entire Warri mainland. These lands were Ijaw and Urhobo long before they were ever claimed by colonial favor or diplomatic proximity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Suit No. W\/148\/78 (Itsekiri Communal Land v. Chief E.A. Sagay), the court warned against the \u201cexcessive territorial assumption\u201d of the Itsekiris and reaffirmed that traditional titles do not translate to land ownership beyond ancestral limits. In the same legal spirit, the Supreme Court has in multiple rulings emphasized the right to self-governance, cultural autonomy and indigenous recognition as protected by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To silence the voice of indigenous people through cartographic deceit and loud propaganda is not just an injustice, it is a violation of both natural law and constitutional integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The policy of the future, if it is to lead Nigeria into peace and unity, must be founded on historical accuracy, not historical robbery. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, \u201cThe greatest threat to liberty is not the lawbreaker but the law manipulator.\u201d And Warri has suffered for too long at the hands of law manipulators disguised as landowners, liers with fake identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us be clear, no manipulation, no lobbyist, no fake census, no manufactured royal claim can stand before the supremacy of truth. The truth is the supreme court over every forgery and no amount of Itsekiri aggression will silence the ancestral voices that still echo from the banks of the Warri River and Land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we reaffirm that the lands of Ogbe-Ijoh, Gbaramatu, Isaba, Diebiri and Egbema are not Itsekiri. They are Ijaw. And we will defend this truth with facts, with documents, with court judgments and if needed, with our last breath. Truth has no fear. Only lies panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To INEC, we say, the time for submission is over. Release the final ward delineation. Stop allowing the ghost of colonial distortion to rule over a democratic commission. The people demand representation based on reality, not repetition of fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the Federal Government and the National Security Adviser, do not allow yourselves to be used as tools to validate deception. Nigeria belongs to all, not to any manipulative minority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the international community, bear witness to a struggle not for domination but for identity. Not for power, but for dignity. Stand on the side of history, not on the side of false royalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ijaw nation is not seeking war, we are seeking what is ours. We are not rewriting history, we are reopening it. And when history is opened, it will roar like thunder, the Ijaws were never conquered, never displaced, never ruled by the Olu of Warri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let every generation remember, you can manipulate land titles but not ancestral truth. You can twist legal language, but not the lineage of a people. You can silence a people temporarily but you cannot silence their God-given identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let Warri breathe. Let truth prevail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed,
Chief Tiemopere Joshua (President)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime \u2013 Secretary<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Uche Alvin Letter to INEC WAR OF TRUTH AND THE WOUND OF LIES: WHY…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[1186,1187,1188],"class_list":["post-4419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-breaking-delta-ijaw-stakeholders-group-sends-powerful-message-to-inec","tag-demands-for-immediate-announcement","tag-implementation-of-warri-federal-constituency-ward-delineation-report"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_0448-1.jpg?fit=686%2C386&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4360,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/09\/ward-delineation-group-sends-open-letter-to-inec-demands-immediate-implementation-of-delineation-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":4419,"position":0},"title":"WARD DELINEATION: Group Sends Open Letter To INEC, Demands Immediate Implementation Of Delineation Report","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u200e\u200eBy Uche Alvin AN OPEN LETTER TO THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC)\u200eFrom Majority to Marginalized: How Political Manipulation Turned Ijaws to Minority in Warri Federal Constituency.\u200e\u200eDear Chairman and Members of the Commission,\u200e\u200eWe, the undersigned Ijaw stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, write to express our deep concern over the continued\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4538,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/breaking-delta-ijaw-group-warns-inec-against-conducting-continuous-voter-registration-exercise-in-warri-federal-constituency-vows-to-resist-any-electoral-activity-without-implementation-of-delineati\/","url_meta":{"origin":4419,"position":1},"title":"BREAKING: Delta Ijaw Group Warns INEC Against Conducting Continuous Voter Registration Exercise In Warri Federal Constituency, Vows To Resist Any Electoral Activity Without Implementation Of Delineation Report","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u200eBy Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC)\u200eRE: FORMAL WARNING AGAINST CONDUCTING CONTINUOUS VOTER REGISTRATION IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY WITHOUT FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF WARD DELINEATION EXERCISE\u200eTo:\u200eThe Chairman\u200eIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC)\u200eINEC Headquarters\u200eZambezi Crescent, Maitama District\u200eAbuja, FCT, Nigeria\u200eDear Sir,\u200e\u200eWe write to you on behalf of the Warri\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Electoral"","block_context":{"text":"Electoral","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/electoral\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3594,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/06\/25\/just-in-ijaw-urhobo-coalition-group-calls-on-inec-to-uphold-rule-of-law-by-releasing-final-report-of-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-exercise\/","url_meta":{"origin":4419,"position":2},"title":"JUST IN: Ijaw, Urhobo Coalition Group Calls On INEC To Uphold Rule Of Law By Releasing Final Report Of Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Exercise","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin PRESS RELEASE Concerned Indigenous Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, Warri South Local Government AreaTO: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE FINALIZATION AND PUBLICATION OF WARD DELINEATION IN WARRI We, the Concerned Indigenous Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, write this urgent appeal to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4934,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/10\/24\/group-congratulates-prof-joash-ojo-amupitan-on-his-appointment-as-new-inec-chairman-by-president-tinubu-urges-him-to-prioritize-implementation-of-warri-federal-constituency-final-delineation-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":4419,"position":3},"title":"Group Congratulates Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan On His Appointment As New INEC Chairman By President Tinubu, Urges Him To Prioritize Implementation Of Warri Federal Constituency Final Delineation Report","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"October 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ebiowei Gabriel CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO THE NEW INEC CHAIRMAN, PROFESSOR JOASH OJO AMUPITAN, SAN From the Concerned Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency We, the Concerned Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency, extend our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, on his well-deserved appointment and swearing-in as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6135ec9f-8675-4c4d-924e-d6e0c6b349fe.jpg?fit=720%2C597&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6135ec9f-8675-4c4d-924e-d6e0c6b349fe.jpg?fit=720%2C597&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6135ec9f-8675-4c4d-924e-d6e0c6b349fe.jpg?fit=720%2C597&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/6135ec9f-8675-4c4d-924e-d6e0c6b349fe.jpg?fit=720%2C597&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4873,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/10\/03\/inecs-delay-in-implementing-the-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report-is-a-recipe-for-crisis___warri-ijaw-stakeholders-warns\/","url_meta":{"origin":4419,"position":4},"title":"INEC\u2019s Delay In Implementing The Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report Is A Recipe For Crisis___Warri Ijaw Stakeholders Warns","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"October 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David The Warri Ijaws Stakeholders issue this strong warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC): your silence and deliberate delay in releasing the final Warri Federal Constituency ward and unit delineation report is not an act of neutrality \u2014 it is an act of provocation. By law,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_3273-1.jpg?fit=1040%2C767&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_3273-1.jpg?fit=1040%2C767&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_3273-1.jpg?fit=1040%2C767&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_3273-1.jpg?fit=1040%2C767&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4768,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/01\/this-tactical-delay-must-stop-announce-the-final-ward-delineation-report-for-warri-federal-constituency-now___group-blasts-inec\/","url_meta":{"origin":4419,"position":5},"title":"This Tactical Delay Must Stop: Announce The Final Ward Delineation Report For Warri Federal Constituency Now___Group Blasts INEC","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"September 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David OPEN LETTER TO INEC AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA RE: THIS TACTICAL DELAY MUST STOP: ANNOUNCE THE FINAL WARD DELINEATION RESULT FOR WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY NOW From: Concerned Ijaw & Urhobo Stakeholders of Warri Federal ConstituencyDate: [1\/9\/2025] When Truth is Delayed, Falsehood is Empowered We write\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/img_0238-1.jpg?fit=935%2C578&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfDfBE-19h","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}