FROM EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, WARRI
ANOTHER ethnic crisis appears imminent in Warri over an alleged indiscriminate sharing of positions in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by the Itsekiri in Warri South Local Government Area.
In a petition forwarded to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa titled, “A call for anarchy”, the Urhobo people contended that they are being short changed by their Itsekiri neighbours.
The petition dated April 26, 2016 and also addressed to the state PDP Chairman, Chief Edwin Uzor, the Urhobo further contended that, “Having experienced unpleasant situation in the past, we painfully exercised all restraint to ensure that Warri South is not dragged into another terrible crisis again, hence we are calling on the party bigwigs to intervene urgently in order to avert an imminent crisis”.
The aggrieved leaders of Warri Urhobo PDP recalled that they are founding members of the party in Warri South, adding that regrettably, “The Urhobos of Warri who constitute over 65% of the total population in the locality and despite her numerical strength, we have never tasted the chairmanship of the council and the party respectively since the formation of the party”.
The aggrieved PDP members also recalled that during the administration of former Governor James Onanefe Ibori, it was decided that “If the chairmanship of the party in Warri South is zoned to the Itsekiris, the state offices should be zoned to the Urhobos of Warri hence Chief (Dr.) Israel Abido, Mr. Stanley Agbosa and Stephenson Obioru became state officers of the party at one time or another. But immediately Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan (an Itsekiri) assumed the reign of affairs, all these arrangements for the peaceful coexistence between the two ethnic groups were reversed in favour of the Itsekiris.”
According to them, the Urhobos have two autonomous kingdoms; the Agbarha Warri and Okere Urhobo which is distinct from the Itsekiris.
Consequently, the embittered Urhobo leaders requested that the chairmanship of the party be given to them since it has always been occupied by the Itsekiris who are in minority in the local government area.