10/06/2026
OPEN RESPONSE TO THE OPEN LETTER OF THE WARRI IJAW STAKEHOLDERS FORUM
THIS IS NOT A CONTEST OF NUMBERS; IT IS A QUESTION OF HISTORY, LEGALITY, AND THE RULE OF LAW
June 2026
To our Ijaw brothers and sisters,
We have read your open letter carefully. We welcome every declaration of peace. We welcome every commitment to development. We welcome every promise that Warri will never again witness the tragedies of the past.
However, your letter raises a fundamental question:
If this is truly about development, why is there a persistent attempt to redefine the historical and legal realities of lands the ljaw's occupied as settlers in Warri Kingdom through electoral delineation?
That is the question before the Nigerian public.
THE ISSUE IS NOT WHO IS BIGGER
Throughout your letter, emphasis is placed on population size, geographical spread, oil production, maritime ambitions, and economic aspirations.
We congratulate every ethnic nationality that seeks progress.
But let us be clear.
The debate before Nigeria is not about who has more people.
It is not about who produces more oil,
It is not about who can organize the largest summit.
It is not about who can build more jetties or attract more investors.
It's about lies you tell the world everyday.
The issue is far simpler:
Can administrative exercises be used to alter the historical ownership and identity of ancestral lands you claim true fraudulent means that it's belong to you?
Our answer is no.
WARRI KINGDOM EXISTED BEFORE INEC
Before Nigeria became a country, Warri Kingdom existed.
Before local governments were created, Warri Kingdom existed.
Before electoral wards were invented, Warri Kingdom existed.
Before modern political parties emerged, Warri Kingdom existed.
The Itsekiri of Ugborodo and Omadino gave your forefathers these land called Ubakokodia, Okerenghogho and Gbaramatu kingdom which you have changed their name over night as settler also prepare litigated upon in favour of the Itsekiri which court judgement you have refuse to obey till date.
The Itsekiri homeland is not a product of INEC.
The Itsekiri homeland is not a product of ward delineation.
The Itsekiri homeland is not a product of political negotiation.
Warri Kingdom is a historical and traditional reality recognized for centuries.
No administrative agency has the authority to redefine that reality.
WARD DELINEATION DOES NOT CONFER LAND OWNERSHIP
This is perhaps the most important point.
Electoral wards are designed for political representation.
They are not instruments of territorial transfer.
They do not create ancestral ownership.
They do not extinguish existing rights.
They do not rewrite history.
No electoral map can convert another people's ancestral homeland into the homeland of a different group.
No gazette can transfer historical title.
No bureaucratic exercise can erase centuries of identity.
DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANNEXATION
We support the development of every community in the Niger Delta.
We support ports.
We support industrialization.
We support maritime investment.
We support educational advancement.
We support economic empowerment.
But development and territorial claims are not the same thing.
One can build a port without questioning history.
One can attract investors without rewriting boundaries.
One can seek political representation without challenging ancestral ownership.
Development succeeds when it respects legality.
THE REAL CONCERN OF ITSEKIRI PEOPLE
The concern of Itsekiri people is not that Ijaw communities are progressing.
The concern is that electoral delineation is increasingly being presented as evidence of territorial entitlement.
That concern cannot simply be dismissed.
Whenever administrative decisions are interpreted as altering the historical status of communities within Warri Kingdom, questions naturally arise.
Those questions deserve answers.
RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW
You call for obedience to the law.
We agree completely.
But obedience to the law must apply to everyone equally.
The law includes constitutional procedures.
The law includes judicial review.
The law includes due process.
The law includes the rights of affected communities to challenge governmental decisions.
No democratic society demands obedience to a disputed administrative action while simultaneously denying citizens the right to question it.
The courts exist precisely for such disputes.
That is the rule of law.
PEACE REQUIRES RESPECT FOR LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY
The Itsekiri people have maintained recognized traditional institutions for centuries.
The authority of the Olu of Warri and the historical existence of Warri Kingdom cannot be subjected to electoral calculations.
Traditional institutions deserve respect.
Historical realities deserve respect.
Legitimate authority deserves respect.
Peace flourishes where institutions are respected.
Conflict emerges when institutions are undermined.
THE LESSON OF HISTORY
The tragedies of the past should teach all of us one lesson:
- Nobody wins when peace is lost.
- Ijaw families suffered.
- Itsekiri families suffered.
- Entire communities suffered.
- Therefore, no responsible leader should encourage narratives that create unnecessary tension.
But peace must be based on truth.
And truth must be based on law.
OUR MESSAGE IS SIMPLE
We do not oppose your development.
We do not oppose your prosperity.
We do not oppose your ambitions.
We do not oppose your future.
But we oppose any attempt to use electoral delineation as a pathway to territorial reinterpretation.
We oppose any attempt to use politics to achieve what history never granted.
We oppose any effort to transform administrative exercises into claims of ancestral ownership.
LET US BUILD ON TRUTH
If your vision is truly about development, then let us develop together.
If your vision is truly about peace, then let us respect one another's rights.
If your vision is truly about justice, then let justice begin with respect for history, legality, and legitimate authority.
The Itsekiri position is straightforward:
Respect the Rule of Law. Respect Historical Truth. Respect Warri Kingdom. Respect Peaceful Coexistence.
No people should seek to dominate another.
No people should seek to erase another.
No people should seek to inherit through politics what history never gave them.
Warri Kingdom belongs to its history.
Its future belongs to peace.
And peace can only endure where truth and legality prevail.
Long Live the Itsekiri Nation.
Long Live Warri Kingdom.
Long Live Peace, Justice, and the Rule of Law.OPEN RESPONSE TO THE OPEN LETTER OF THE WARRI IJAW STAKEHOLDERS FORUM
THIS IS NOT A CONTEST OF NUMBERS; IT IS A QUESTION OF HISTORY, LEGALITY, AND THE RULE OF LAW
June 2026
To our Ijaw brothers and sisters,
We have read your open letter carefully. We welcome every declaration of peace. We welcome every commitment to development. We welcome every promise that Warri will never again witness the tragedies of the past.
However, your letter raises a fundamental question:
If this is truly about development, why is there a persistent attempt to redefine the historical and legal realities of lands the ljaw's occupied as settlers in Warri Kingdom through electoral delineation?
That is the question before the Nigerian public.
THE ISSUE IS NOT WHO IS BIGGER
Throughout your letter, emphasis is placed on population size, geographical spread, oil production, maritime ambitions, and economic aspirations.
We congratulate every ethnic nationality that seeks progress.
But let us be clear.
The debate before Nigeria is not about who has more people.
It is not about who produces more oil,
It is not about who can organize the largest summit.
It is not about who can build more jetties or attract more investors.
It's about lies you tell the world everyday.
The issue is far simpler:
Can administrative exercises be used to alter the historical ownership and identity of ancestral lands you claim true fraudulent means that it's belong to you?
Our answer is no.
WARRI KINGDOM EXISTED BEFORE INEC
Before Nigeria became a country, Warri Kingdom existed.
Before local governments were created, Warri Kingdom existed.
Before electoral wards were invented, Warri Kingdom existed.
Before modern political parties emerged, Warri Kingdom existed.
The Itsekiri of Ugborodo and Omadino gave your forefathers these land called Ubakokodia, Okerenghogho and Gbaramatu kingdom which you have changed their name over night as settler also prepare litigated upon in favour of the Itsekiri which court judgement you have refuse to obey till date.
The Itsekiri homeland is not a product of INEC.
The Itsekiri homeland is not a product of ward delineation.
The Itsekiri homeland is not a product of political negotiation.
Warri Kingdom is a historical and traditional reality recognized for centuries.
No administrative agency has the authority to redefine that reality.
WARD DELINEATION DOES NOT CONFER LAND OWNERSHIP
This is perhaps the most important point.
Electoral wards are designed for political representation.
They are not instruments of territorial transfer.
They do not create ancestral ownership.
They do not extinguish existing rights.
They do not rewrite history.
No electoral map can convert another people's ancestral homeland into the homeland of a different group.
No gazette can transfer historical title.
No bureaucratic exercise can erase centuries of identity.
DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT REQUIRE ANNEXATION
We support the development of every community in the Niger Delta.
We support ports.
We support industrialization.
We support maritime investment.
We support educational advancement.
We support economic empowerment.
But development and territorial claims are not the same thing.
One can build a port without questioning history.
One can attract investors without rewriting boundaries.
One can seek political representation without challenging ancestral ownership.
Development succeeds when it respects legality.
THE REAL CONCERN OF ITSEKIRI PEOPLE
The concern of Itsekiri people is not that Ijaw communities are progressing.
The concern is that electoral delineation is increasingly being presented as evidence of territorial entitlement.
That concern cannot simply be dismissed.
Whenever administrative decisions are interpreted as altering the historical status of communities within Warri Kingdom, questions naturally arise.
Those questions deserve answers.
RESPECT FOR THE RULE OF LAW
You call for obedience to the law.
We agree completely.
But obedience to the law must apply to everyone equally.
The law includes constitutional procedures.
The law includes judicial review.
The law includes due process.
The law includes the rights of affected communities to challenge governmental decisions.
No democratic society demands obedience to a disputed administrative action while simultaneously denying citizens the right to question it.
The courts exist precisely for such disputes.
That is the rule of law.
PEACE REQUIRES RESPECT FOR LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY
The Itsekiri people have maintained recognized traditional institutions for centuries.
The authority of the Olu of Warri and the historical existence of Warri Kingdom cannot be subjected to electoral calculations.
Traditional institutions deserve respect.
Historical realities deserve respect.
Legitimate authority deserves respect.
Peace flourishes where institutions are respected.
Conflict emerges when institutions are undermined.
THE LESSON OF HISTORY
The tragedies of the past should teach all of us one lesson:
- Nobody wins when peace is lost.
- Ijaw families suffered.
- Itsekiri families suffered.
- Entire communities suffered.
- Therefore, no responsible leader should encourage narratives that create unnecessary tension.
But peace must be based on truth.
And truth must be based on law.
OUR MESSAGE IS SIMPLE
We do not oppose your development.
We do not oppose your prosperity.
We do not oppose your ambitions.
We do not oppose your future.
But we oppose any attempt to use electoral delineation as a pathway to territorial reinterpretation.
We oppose any attempt to use politics to achieve what history never granted.
We oppose any effort to transform administrative exercises into claims of ancestral ownership.
LET US BUILD ON TRUTH
If your vision is truly about development, then let us develop together.
If your vision is truly about peace, then let us respect one another's rights.
If your vision is truly about justice, then let justice begin with respect for history, legality, and legitimate authority.
The Itsekiri position is straightforward:
Respect the Rule of Law. Respect Historical Truth. Respect Warri Kingdom. Respect Peaceful Coexistence.
No people should seek to dominate another.
No people should seek to erase another.
No people should seek to inherit through politics what history never gave them.
Warri Kingdom belongs to its history.
Its future belongs to peace.
And peace can only endure where truth and legality prevail.
Long Live the Itsekiri Nation.
Long Live Warri Kingdom.
Long Live Peace, Justice, and the Rule of Law.
