The Urhobo people of Warri South local government area of Delta state have said that Warri, the commercial city of Delta state is a collection of independent Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri kingdoms separated from each other by roads, culture and traditions.
In an open letter signed by Chief Samson Ofudo and Evang. Peterson Boyi and made available to Emerald News, the Urhobos in Warri said the commercial city has Agbarha-Warri, Okere-Urhobo and Ogbe-Ijaw-Warri, which are autonomous kingdoms with title to every piece and parcel of land.
The open letter addressed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and calling for his intervention is in response to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 111, over his claim that Warri South local government area and the two state constituencies belong to the Itsekiri people.
The letter which is calling on Governor Okowa to intervene and thereby avoid another Warri crisis, insisted that the statement made by Olu of Warri on January 29, 2022 was misleading, hence if not corrected, the undescerning members of the public would be left with a false impression about Warri.
According to the letter, the lordship of Itsekiri king, Ogiame Atuwatse 111, does not extend to the Urhobo people of Okere-Urhobo and Agbarha-Warri kingdom, adding that “we are independent people with our customs and traditions distinct from the Itsekiri people.”
While the Itsekiri people refer to their traditional ruler as the Olu of Warri, the Urhobos call theirs as Orosuen of Okere-Urhobo kingdom and the Ovie of Agbarha-Warri kingdom.
The letter noted that for the purpose of political convenience, Agbarha-Warri kingdom, Itsekiri kingdom and Okere-Urhobo kingdom were delineated into Warri South local government area by the Independent National Electoral Commission into 12 ward structure of six ward each to Urhobo and six to Itsekiri with two state constituencies.
The letter condemned that the ill-treatment being meted on the Urhobos by the Itsekiri people, just as it said the Itsekiris have vowed to rule Warri South local government area in a manner that will be detrimental to the fundamental human rights of the Urhobo people.
It said the Urhobos in Warri South are neither allowed to produce local government chairman nor party chairman. It said from the statement of Olu of Warri, it has become crystal clear that the Itsekiri people have taken the local government and the federal constituency as their personal property which is not acceptable.
