Urhobo Ethnic Nationality in Delta South Punctures Awala Gbubemi justification of the skewed Communique Authored by Alex Ideh, and others purportedly on behalf of APC in Delta South Senatorial district

By Wilson Macaulay

Warri

Urhobo  Ethic Nationality  APC Members who are Indigenes of Okere Urhobo and Agbarha Warri Kingdoms  in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta South Senatorial District, today  faulted in strong terms  the unwarranted justification of the illfated and skewed  communique published by  Dr Alex  ldeh and his co - travellers  Purportedly 

onbehalf of the APC in Delta South Senatorial District  by Awala Gbubemi 

and his band of evil merchants.

A statement signed by Mr. Benjamin Eboh &  Hon. Gabriel Okandeji, On behalf of Urhobo APC Leaders / Members who are Indigenes of Okere Urhobo and Agbarha Warri Kingdoms made available to Independent Newspaper Correspondent on Tuesday said: 

“Our attention has just been drawn to a statement issued by one Mr. Awala Gbubemi on behalf of a nonexistent group which calls itself “Delta South Senatorial District APC Solidarity Front” seeking to justify the so called “Communique” published by Dr. Alex  Ideh and others purportedly on behalf of the APC in Delta South Senatorial District. It was indeed a very poor propaganda laced with lies, innuendoes and unworthy of being taken seriously."

 The Statenent emphasized further saying : " We are not surprised that after the truth has been exposed on their lies and evil agenda, the people behind the propaganda have suddenly vanished into the  thin air to make statements using  non-existent groups."

 The Urhobos of Delta South remarked that it is interesting that the latest statement by this non existent  group has finally exposed the whole purpose of the clique’s campaign, which is to attempt to exclude legally qualified  Deltans from appointment into the NDDC Board assuming there are vacancies.

Continuing the statement explained: "The NDDC Act is the law that governs appointments into the NDDC Board. The NDDC Act in Part 1, Section 2(1) B requires a member of the NDDC Governing Board to come from an “Oil Producing Area”. An area is a definite geographical space bound by its recognition in the constitution as an administrative space. Thus, an area is a state, a local government area or a senatorial district."

 The Statenent further relied on the NDDC ACT  saying : " In the context of the NDDC act, an oil producing area is coterminous with an oil producing local government area. Warri South Local Government Area as a whole is an oil producing area. All indigenes of Warri South Local Government Area whether they are Urhobo, Itsekiri or Ijaw are eligible for appointment into the NDDC Board. Similarly, all  indigenes of all other Oil Producing Local Government Areas in Delta State (whether they are Urhobo, Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri or Ndokwa) are eligible. Nobody can be  excluded on the basis of tribe as long as he or she is from an oil producing local government area in Delta State."

The statement observed that these   non existent  group made innuendoes and remarks that claimed that there are other indigenous tribes in the Delta Central Senatorial District that have  been denied their political rights in those areas. Yet, if there are, is it not their duty to fight for their rights? Must their negligence become our burden, if indeed they do exist?

With emphasis the statement asserted:  "We,  the indigenous Urhobos of Delta South Senatorial District occupy two legally recognized indigenous and independent kingdoms. These are the Okere Urhobo Kingdom of Warri South Local Government Area with our traditional ruler, the Oroseun of Okere Urhobo Kingdom and Agbarha Warri Kingdom of Warri South Local Government Area with our traditional ruler the Ovie of Agbarha Warri. In addition, our two Urhobo Kingdoms in Warri have six Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delineated wards in Warri South Local Government Area out of the total 12 INEC wards in Warri South Local Government Area. We, indigenous Urhobos in the Okere Urhobo and Agbarha Warri Kingdoms with 6 INEC Wards in Warri South Local Government Area have the same political rights  accruable to all other indigenes in Warri South Local Government and in the Delta South Senatorial District."

In their desperate bid to deceive unsuspecting Deltans and Nigerians of their motives, this group of deceivers recruited one Mrs. Mary Obrutche to attend and sign their so-called communique on behalf of the Urhobo Ethnic Nationality in Delta South Senatorial District. Mrs Obrutche does not represent us and was not mandated by us, the Urhobos of Delta South Senatorial District, to sign / agree to a  “Communique” that proposed to exclude us from any Federal appointment which is our right under the Nigerian Constitution and the NDDC Act.

Mrs. Mary Obrutche is not an Urhobo indigene of Warri South Local Government or Delta South Senatorial District. She is not from Okere Urhobo Kingdom. She is not from Agbarha Warri Kingdom. She was never mandated by us to speak on behalf of us – the Urhobos of Delta South Senatorial District. She is from Uwheru in Ughelli North Local Governing Area. She was never mandated by us to agree / sign a “Communique ” proposing to exclude us from any Federal appointments.

And is there really a vacancy for Board Members in the NDDC for which these characters have thrown all caution to the wind employing all kinds of lies and all kinds of subterfuge?

Mr President has already nominated a Board in October 2019 whose members were screened by all relevant agencies of the federal government following which they were screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5 2019. They are only now waiting to be inaugurated.

On  the 24th day of June 2021, while receiving the INC at the State House in Abuja, President Buhari said that the NDDC Board would be INAUGURATED as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted. The president said ‘‘I want to assure you that as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be INAUGURATED”.

What then is all the hullabaloo that is being stirred by these characters behind the mischievous, misleading and provocative “communique”?

The Niger Delta needs to move forward and we can’t succumb to the blackmail, subterfuge, deceit and propaganda of people who are more interested in pushing their puny interests against the larger interest of the Niger Delta people.

The conduct of the characters behind the so called  “communique” and the subsequent statement by Mr. Awala Gbubemi of the non-existent “Delta South Senatorial District APC Solidarity Front” is indeed very shameful.