{"id":5483,"date":"2026-02-24T15:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/warri-is-not-a-single-kingdom-belonging-to-the-itsekiris-its-a-constituency-with-seven-different-kingdoms___says-delta-group\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:39:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:39:05","slug":"warri-is-not-a-single-kingdom-belonging-to-the-itsekiris-its-a-constituency-with-seven-different-kingdoms___says-delta-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/warri-is-not-a-single-kingdom-belonging-to-the-itsekiris-its-a-constituency-with-seven-different-kingdoms___says-delta-group\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWarri Is Not A Single Kingdom Belonging To The Itsekiris, It\u2019s A Constituency With Seven Different Kingdoms\u201d___Says Delta Group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ebiowei Gabriel <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OPEN LETTER FROM THE CONCERNED ELDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
DATE: 24\/2\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA, THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER AND THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEVEN KINGDOMS, ONE CONSTITUENCY, THE TRUTH ABOUT WARRI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We write not as agitators, not as political opportunists but as elders burdened by history and compelled by truth. We write because silence, at this point, would amount to complicity in distortion. Warri Federal Constituency is being slowly suffocated by a narrative that reduces a complex, multi-indigenous region into the domain of a single throne. That narrative is false, historically false, legally false and constitutionally unsustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let this be established clearly and permanently on record:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warri is not a kingdom. Warri is a federal constituency composed of multiple indigenous kingdoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not rhetoric, it is law and documented fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warri Federal Constituency comprises seven historically recognized kingdoms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gbaramatu Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egbema Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isaba Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Itsekiri Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okere-Urhobo Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agbarha Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of these kingdoms predates modern electoral arrangements. Each has defined territory, traditional authority and historical continuity. Under the Delta State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs framework, these monarchies stand independently. None is legally superior to the other. None exercises territorial jurisdiction over the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The persistent portrayal of Warri as a single ethnic kingdom is a political construction, not a historical reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, early European accounts of the Niger Delta between 1485 and 1530, including those of Duarte Pacheco Pereira and Duarte Barbosa, described the riverine inhabitants of the western Delta as \u201cIjo\u201d (Ijaw) communities controlling waterways and trade routes. These descriptions predate the formal consolidation of the Itsekiri monarchy under the Olu dynasty in the 16th century. This chronology is documented by scholars such as Prof. E.J. Alagoa, Prof. Obaro Ikime and other historians of the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not erase the Itsekiri contribution to Warri. It simply establishes what serious scholarship affirms. Warri developed as a multi-ethnic coastal and riverine hub, not as a single homogeneous kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demographically, the landmass distribution of Warri Federal Constituency clearly reflects that the Ijaw and Urhobo territories constitute substantial geographic and population presence across Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North. Electoral representation must reflect this demographic and geographic reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is unambiguous:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 14(2)(a): Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sections 71\u201376 and 112\u2013116 mandate constituency delineation based on population and geographical considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 287(1): The decisions of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Supreme Court, in SC\/CV\/1033\/2022, ordered a lawful delineation of Warri Federal Constituency. INEC conducted field verification. Communities were visited. Coordinates were taken. Population spread was assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work has been done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The refusal to announce the final delineation result now raises grave constitutional and institutional questions. Silence in the face of completed lawful exercise undermines public confidence. A democracy cannot function on withheld truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We caution respectfully but firmly, Warri does not need institutional hesitation to inflame misunderstanding. What the region needs is clarity anchored in law. The Federal Government, the NSA and INEC must recognize that prolonged delay fuels suspicion and weakens trust in national institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not a threat. It is a statement of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warri\u2019s peace rests on recognition of plurality. Its stability rests on lawful representation. Its future rests on equity, not on narrative dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We therefore demand calmly but unequivocally that, INEC announce the final delineation result in compliance with constitutional and judicial directives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warri is not a kingdom.
Warri is a city of kingdoms.
And its representation must reflect its full indigenous composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Tiemopere Joshua ~ President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Concerned Elders of Warri Federal Constituency (CEWFC)
For and on behalf of peace, truth and justice in the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cc:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Assembly of Nigeria<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Attorney-General of the Federation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Delta State Government<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Delta State House of Assembly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civil Society Organizations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Community<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ebiowei Gabriel OPEN LETTER FROM THE CONCERNED ELDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCYDATE: 24\/2\/2026 TO…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5482,"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":"\u201cWarri Is Not A Single Kingdom Belonging To The Itsekiris, It\u2019s A Constituency With Seven Different Kingdoms\u201d___Says Delta Group","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":[398,671],"tags":[1833],"class_list":["post-5483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-metro","tag-warri-is-not-a-single-kingdom-belonging-to-the-itsekiris"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/img_8407.jpg?fit=853%2C1280&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5224,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/just-in-warri-elders-group-makes-final-rejection-of-olu-of-itsekiris-deception-false-supremacy-and-attempt-to-rewrite-history-ownership-and-identity-of-warri-through-traditional-proclamati\/","url_meta":{"origin":5483,"position":0},"title":"JUST IN: Warri Elders Group Makes Final Rejection Of Olu Of Itsekiri\u2019s Deception, False Supremacy And Attempt To Rewrite History, Ownership And Identity Of Warri Through Traditional Proclamations","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"December 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David A SOLEMN DECLARATION BY THE CONCERNED ELDERS OF WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY ADDRESSED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA, THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, THE DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT, AND THE NIGERIAN AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLICDATE: 16\/12\/2025 RE: A FINAL REJECTION OF DECEPTION, FALSE SUPREMACY AND ANY ATTEMPT TO REWRITE 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\/12\/img_5986.jpg?fit=903%2C787&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_5986.jpg?fit=903%2C787&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_5986.jpg?fit=903%2C787&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_5986.jpg?fit=903%2C787&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4262,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/07\/04\/just-in-warri-federal-constituency-stakeholders-writes-open-letter-to-federal-government-highlights-itsekiris-false-leases-forged-history-and-manipulation-calls-for-justice-finalization-of-inec-d\/","url_meta":{"origin":5483,"position":1},"title":"JUST IN: Warri Federal Constituency Stakeholders Writes Open Letter To Federal Government, Highlights Itsekiris False Leases, Forged History And Manipulation, Calls For Justice, Finalization Of INEC Delineation Exercise","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"July 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIARE: FALSE LEASES, FORGED HISTORY AND THE ITSEKIRI MANIPULATION OF WARRI: A CALL FOR JUSTICE AND FINALIZATION OF INEC\u2019S DELINEATION EXERCISE To:The President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of NigeriaThe Honourable Attorney-General of the FederationThe Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5051,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/11\/16\/re-the-misleading-okerenghigho-propaganda-by-the-itsekiris-and-our-demand-for-the-immediate-announcement-of-the-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report___cewfc\/","url_meta":{"origin":5483,"position":2},"title":"RE: The Misleading Okerenghigho Propaganda By The Itsekiris, And Our Demand For The Immediate Announcement Of The Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report___CEWFC","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"November 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Uche Alvin OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, INEC, NSA. RE: THE MISLEADING OKERENGHIGHO PROPAGANDA AND DEMANDING THE IMMEDIATE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY DELINEATION RESULT DATE: 16:11\/2025 We write with moral outrage, constitutional defiance and the unbroken certainty of historical truth because the level of misinformation, distortion\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Opinion"","block_context":{"text":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/opinion\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4990.jpg?fit=692%2C575&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4990.jpg?fit=692%2C575&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img_4990.jpg?fit=692%2C575&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4794,"url":"https:\/\/coastaltimes.com.ng\/index.php\/2025\/09\/10\/just-in-niger-delta-advocacy-group-writes-open-letter-to-president-tinubu-inec-nsa-over-delayed-implementation-of-warri-federal-constituency-delineation-report-calls-for-immediate-implementation\/","url_meta":{"origin":5483,"position":3},"title":"JUST IN: Niger Delta Advocacy Group Writes Open Letter To President Tinubu, INEC, NSA Over Delayed Implementation Of Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Report, Calls For Immediate Implementation","author":"Freeborn Abraye","date":"September 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Esther David OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND INEC BY: Defenders of Warri Federal Constituency Truth and JusticeDate: [10\/9\/2025] Warri Is Not a Kingdom, It Is a City of Kingdoms. 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