By Chris Okoro
A Pan-Warri Urhobo socio-political organization, the Warri Urhobo National Congress ( WUNC ) championing and pursuing agenda for the development of Urhobos of Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, has debunked the insinuations and aspersions cast against the Warri Urhobo National Congress by Chief Israel Abido and 13 others on their implicit support for Chief Dr. E.K Clark’s call on EFCC to probe former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on the mismanagement of 13% Oil Derivation Fund and DESOPADEC funds from 2015 – 2023, describing it as waisted years.
This was contained in a statement issued and signed by the National President, Chief Dr. Westham Adehor,JP, National Secretary, Olorogun Victor Okumagba, JP, National Vice President, Hon . Mark Ikpuri and the National Organizing Secretary, Chief Godday Onotor, Titled: EXPOSING THE ANTICS OF URHOBOS OF WARRI PDP POLITICAL FORUM LED BY CHIEF ISRAEL ABIDO as follows:
We have read with dismay and apprehension the repeated attack to our support of Chief E. K. Clark’s petition to EFCC to probe Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa over the 13% Derivation Fund from 2015 – 2023. Particularly, the recent Press Statement issued and signed by Chief Israel Abido, Chief Isaac Emiforniye and eight others on behalf of an imaginary group called the Urhobos of Warri PDP Political Forum which has gone viral on social media, titled: RE: URHOBOS BACK E. K. CLARK ON EFCC PROBE ON OKOWA Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have belaboured ourselves to respond to the said statement, but doing so would be amounting to accepting falsehood.
However, we are still investigating if Chief Israel Abido actually append his signature on that piece of sheet they called Press Statement, judging from his status in Warri Urhobo. But if truly he signed the said Press Statement, then it is most unfortunate and our conclusion therefore, will be that the Warri Urhobo PDP are like sheep without Shepherd moving towards extinction.
However, the Warri Urhobo National Congress Petition to the EFCC dated 4th July, 2023, is very explicit. The purpose of our petition is hinged on the fact that as Oil producing/impacted communities, it is our bonafide right to benefit like every other Deltans from the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) but in the present circumstance, the reverse is the case, because there is nothing to show in terms of infrastructures, human capital development and appointments into the Board of DESOPADEC.
We are also aware of the squabble in the so-called Warri Urhobo PDP political forum over who to sign the said Press Statement because all of them wanted their names and signatures to appear in the letter for them to be seen as defending Sen. Okowa and to be considered for appointments as AS’s and SSA’s by Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, because that is the highest appointments earmarked for the Urhobos Warri during Okowa’s eight years Administration.
Conversely, we want to make it abundantly clear to Chief Abido and the general public that the word WARRI URHOBO is not the asset of PDP.
There are APC, LP, ADC, etc in Warri Urhobo. Therefore, PDP cannot lay claim to Warri Urhobo as their bonafide chattel. It is saddening for Chief Abido to go to the Press in an attempt to discredit our genuine struggle for self-determination, that Warri Urhobos are not marginalized in terms of Political patronage in Delta State from 2015 – 2023. Because he and his disciples are looking for appointments. Certainly, this is what we get when we lived our lives in politics as our only source of livelihood. Even Chief Abido and others in their heart of hearts would agree with us that Warri Urhobo has not been treated fairly politically both at the Local and State level in the over twenty four (24) years of PDP administration in Delta State.
Below Are the Litany Of The Unfair Treatment Aided By The Okowa Administration Against The Warri Urhobo People From 2015 – 2023.
1. Sen. Okowa attempted vehemently to take back our constituency and give to our neighbours, but met with stiff resistance from the Warri Urhobo National Congress, otherwise Okowa would have taken our constituency and give it to Itsekiri People.
2. Okowa masterminded the ceding of Bowen Ward to our Itsekiri neighbours with Chief Abido putting the final nail with this golden words of “The Governor has the yam and the knife, so whatever he likes, he (Governor) should do”. Of course, Okowa gave the Bowen ward to our Itsekiri neighbours and Chief Abido was very satisfied.
3. Okowa denied the Urhobos of Warri the opportunity to produce Commissioner at the State Executive Council for his eight years tenure as Governor of Delta State.
4. Okowa also denied the Urhobos of Warri the opportunity of having a Special Adviser in his eight years tenure as Governor of Delta State.
5. Sen. Okowa deliberately refused to appoint Warri Urhobos into any State Government Statutory Board as Chairman or members.
6. Sen. Okowa as usual, denied the Warri Urhobos and deliberately refused to appoint any as Chairman, Director General and Members of the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Development Agency, against all our protest to that effect.
7. Sen. Okowa denied Warri Urhobo the Local Government Council Chairman throughout his eight years tenure.
8. Okowa was instrumental and in the forefront of Hon. Dennis Omovie must not be Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly in 2015, even when the Speaker was zoned to Urhobos. After allowing Omovie to spend millions on consultations.
9. Under Okowa’s eight years tenure, the Urhobos of Warri were denied the PDP Local Government Chairman.
10. The Urhobos of Warri were also denied the Secretary to Local Education Authority (LEA) in Okowa eight years as Governor of Delta State.
11. The Secretary to Warri South Local Government Council also followed suit during Okowa’s administration.
12. During Chief James Ibori’s tenure, Warri Urhobo and Itsekiri leaders were of equal status, but when Uduaghan came, which is understandable, the arrangement changed in favour of our Itsekiri neighbours and Okowa came and maintained the status quo against all our plea and protests.
13. Okowa deliberately refused to reinstate McDermott Ward that was taken by Uduaghan inspite of all our protest.
14. Okowa deliberately frustrated our effort for the recreation of the Community Development Committee (CDC) that was created by His Excellency, Chief James Onanefe Ibori. Which Chief Abido was a major beneficiary.
15. Upon the request for DESOPADEC to build Agbarha-Warri Palace, Okowa deliberately stopped DESOPADEC from building palaces to kingdoms across the State.
From the above therefore, no rational person(s) will conclude that the Urhobo people in Warri South Local Government Area are not being marginalized from the date under review. We are confident that no true and bonafide Warri Urhobo indigene will take the spurious and unfounded defence for Okowa by Abido and his cohorts serious, because we are all aware about chief Abido’s antecedents. It is unfortunate that instead of accepting the facts in our petition to EFCC as Patriots and true democrats, Abido and his devotees are trying to cause dissatisfaction among the Warri Urhobo People for their personal gains and desperate need for political appointments.
To confirm and collaborate our position of Okowa’s unfair treatment and gross marginalization to the Urhobos of Warri, we reproduced the Statement issued and credited to the Second Signatory of Abido Press Statement, Chief Isaac Emifoniye in the Urhobo Voice of 31 st July, 2023, VOL. 27 NO1387 titled: CORRECT IMBALANCE APPOINTMENTS AGAINST WARRI URHOBO. From the above therefore, it is a fact that the Urhobos of Warri PDP political forum otherwise Warri Urhobo PDP members are dying in silence.
On the issue of Road Construction ,the authors also in their quest to defend Okowa, stated that Okowa used part of the DESOPADEC Fund in constructing various roads in Warri Metropolis including drainages. Very laughable!
From our reliable investigations, 90% of the road constructions in Warri Metropolis is being done by the NDDC.
The authors also admitted that we have been in the system since the formation of the party PDP, but we have nothing to show for it, that again goes to confirm that Okowa denied Urhobos of Warri both human capital and infrastructural development. Of course, they too cannot say they are living well as they should.In a situation like this, Chief Abido as a leader should be speaking with facts and specifics, because from our own point which is the fact, the Delta State School of Nursing, Dom-Domingos College were built and furnished during the Uduaghan’s administration, Okowa did not add one block to the two institutions, same goes to College of Education. As for Ighogbadu Primary School, Okowa only built one four (4) classroom block. For the avoidance of doubt, the Warri/Uvwie and environs drainage project is a state funded project and not DESOPADEC project as claimed by Chief Abido and his disciples.
Furthermore, the Warri Urhobo National Congress leadership decided to leave Egypt (PDP) because of the unfair treatment enumerated above against the Urhobos of Warri on the 17th of March, 2023 after series of meetings with Okowa to address the above collapsed.
Warri Urhobo National Congress is an assemblage of all political parties in Nigeria including APC, PDP, ADC, LP, etc. However, the only offence we committed against Chief Abido and his apostles is that six (APC) members of Warri Urhobo National Congress to with: Chief Dr. Westham Adehor, JP, Olorogun Victor Okumagba, JP, Hon. Mark Ikpuri, Chief Godday Onotor, Bro. Emmanuel Oyovwikigho and Chief Anne Gagiyovwi, JP, left the PDP for APC and put an end to the twenty four (24) years dominance of the PDP in Warri South Constituency 2. Today, with ultimate credit to us, Hon. Chief Benson Obire (APC) is representing Warri South Constituency 2 at the Delta State House of Assembly. Chief Abido and his toothless co-travelers would have used the strength and energy they are using to attack the Warri Urhobo National Congress on the day of election to get victory.
However, we are curious to ask this question; where were these aliens when only six (6) decampees changed the game in favour of APC in Warri South Constituency 2? The truth be told, Chief Abido and the thirteen (13) other signatories of the said Press Statement failed in their various Units, Wards and Constituency. We challenge Chief Abido and his cohorts to reproduce their units and wards results if they truly deserved appointments from Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, because if everybody failed their areas like Chief Abido and others, Oborevwori won’t be in Government House in the first place to give them appointments. With emphasis, the authors of the Press Statement are like sheep without Shepherd. Otherwise, how do you reconcile Chief Abido whom one of the oppressors of Warri Urhobo people is leading in his Igbudu Ward, and Same Chief Abido is leading the Urhobos of Warri? What a bitter taste. In our subsequent reply, we are going to reproduce multiple letters signed by some of the authors, agitating against marginalization of the Urhobos of Warri during Okowa’s eight years administration to confirm our position of marginalization by Okowa.
Therefore, the Warri Urhobo National Congress unequivocally stand and maintain its position to support Chief E. K. Clark’s call to probe Sen. Okowa’s eight years tenure over the 13% Derivation Fund. No amount of blackmail, threats, acts of reactionary provocations and intimidation will deter us from our genuine struggle of self-determination in Warri Urhobo. We have already briefed the leadership and stakeholders of Warri Urhobo people and we are moving on.
Finally, it will be beneficial for Chief Abido and his toothless team to maintain their lane and allow Okowa to defend himself on how he appropriated the DESOPADEC fund from 2015 – 2023. And approach Oborevwori with their report card, i.e. election results for patronage, instead of blackmailing Warri Urhobo National Congress to gain underserved favour from Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
In conclusion, we urge Chief Abido and his adherents to retrace their steps and follow the path of truth and let justice, equity and fairness reign in Warri Urhobo, otherwise posterity will not be kind to them. Because, he that devises to do evil shall be called a mischievous person: Proverb: 24:8. A Stitch in time saves nine!
