Warri Constituency dispute: Ijaw, Itsekiri agree to power-sharing deal after Tinubu’s intervention

Representatives of the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities in Delta State have agreed on a power-sharing arrangement for the proposed Warri Federal Constituency II following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu aimed at resolving the lingering dispute over electoral ward delineation in the area.

The agreement was reached on Friday after a meeting convened at the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, in Abuja. The meeting came on the heels of an earlier engagement between Tinubu and representatives of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo ethnic groups from Warri Federal Constituency at the Presidential Villa on June 11. Sheriff Oborevwori, Delta State governor, was also present at the earlier meeting.

According to the resolution signed by representatives of both ethnic groups and witnessed by key stakeholders, the parties agreed that the House of Representatives seat in the proposed Warri Federal Constituency II would rotate between the Ijaw and Itsekiri nationalities.

Under the arrangement, “the House of Representatives seat will rotate between the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups, with the Ijaw nationality taking the first turn for two consecutive terms before the seat shifts to the Itsekiri for a similar tenure.”

The meeting at the NSA’s office, which lasted about two hours, was chaired by Ribadu and attended by Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The power-sharing agreement is expected to ease tensions generated by the ward delineation exercise proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which had sparked disagreements among ethnic groups in the Warri area.

Tinubu had directed two representatives from each of the three ethnic nationalities to meet under the supervision of the Federal Government “to consolidate the gains of the June 11 meeting and find a mutually acceptable framework for political representation in the proposed constituency.”

The resolution was signed on behalf of the Ijaw nationality by former deputy governor of Delta State, Kingsley Otuaro, and Eric Omare, while A.S. Mene and Robinson Ariyo signed for the Itsekiri nationality.

Ribadu signed on behalf of the Federal Government, while Olorogun Victor Okumagba and Westham Adehor witnessed the agreement.

The development is being viewed as a significant breakthrough in efforts to sustain peace and promote political inclusiveness among the ethnic nationalities in the Warri area ahead of future electoral contests.