By Ambrose Ologide
Warri Urhobo Communities have disassociated selves from a joint press conference by the Ijaw and Urhobos of Warri held on 30th April, 2025 widely published in the print and on-line media.
This was contained in a letter addressed to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) signed by Hon Mark Ikpuri ( INEC / Warri Urhobo communities vocal person) , Chief Hon Westham Adehor ( INEC / Warri Urhobo communities vocal person) and Hon Obruche Obodo ( Warri Urhobo communities nominated for INEC field work exercise) dated 1st May , 2025 made available to newsmen in Warri.
The statement is titled’ RE: JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE IJAWS AND URHOBOS OF WARRI ON THE REPORT OF THE FIELD WORK ON THE FRESH DELINEATION OF ELECTORAL WARDS AND POLLING UNITS AND THREATS TO PEACE AND SECURITY IN WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY OF DELTA STATE THIS 30TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025′ and it reads in part : ‘Our attention has been drawn to a Joint Press Conference purportedly organized by the Ijaws and Urhobos of Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State, where our names – Hon. Mark Ikpuri and Chief Westham Adehor were boldly featured and announced as part of representatives and signatories from the Urhobo ethnic nationality of Warri Federal Constituency. We note with disapproval the intention for the listing of our names as participant of the Joint Press Conference.
‘ We should have no need bothering ourselves about the said Joint Press Conference because we, the Urhobos of Warri Federal Constituency have already made clear to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, our concern and position on the report of the re-delineation exercise.
‘ Mainwhile, we use this opportunity to commend the INEC for complying with the judgment Order of the Supreme Court on the re-delineation of Warri South Local Government Area, LGA especially the field workers who carried out the physical exercise for their resilience and good work. It was for equity, peace and justice in Warri South LGA.
‘As noted above, we are making this disclaimer to debunk, denounce and disassociate ourselves from the so-called Joint Press Conference and its resolutions because we have observed that our names were falsely listed as co-signatories to give the said Joint Press Conference an undeserved credibility and basically to mislead the public. Our people say, “You don’t shave a man’s hair in his absence.” We could not have been signatories to a Joint Press Conference that we know nothing about. At the time of the said Joint Press Conference, Chief Westham Adehor for example, was in Lagos and still there even until now. As it is, the act of falsely listing our names as co-signatories at the press conference is not only criminal in nature but actually libelous.
We have nothing to do with it and are totally refuting it.
‘It is not in contention that Urhobo is the majority ethnic nationality in Warri South LGA. Historically, when the British Colonial Masters came into the area – Warri urban, it was the Agbasa Urhobo people of Edjeba, Agbasa, Igbudu and Ogunu they met on ground.
The British eventually signed a treaty of protection with them. As at this time, no other ethnic nationality was in the Warri urban areas but only the Urhobos. Thus, they came up with the Agbasa boundary plan, which was signed by late Albert Macaulay, the country’s Surveyor-General at the time.
We have all the treaties and relevant documents intact. So, it was not surprising when the Roman Catholic Church and the First Baptist Church recognized Urhobos as owners of Warri and approached them for land to build their churches. All the tenancy agreements are with us.
‘ As stated above, we have already sent our observations to the INEC on the areas of errors in re-delineation report, especially in the Agbarha Warri area where the Roman Catholic and First Baptist churches are situated. They are Urhobo areas of Warri that we cannot compromised nor surrender to any minority ethnic nationality in Warri to give a majority outlook.
‘We do not want anything that will drag the Urhobos of Warri and the INEC to court. Therefore, we are asking that our proposal and protest against all the abnormalities and errors in the re-delineation report be strictly considered in the interest of justice and peace.’
