Delta South: You Can’t Speak For Ijaw Nation, IYC Tells Kinsman, Etolor Over Comment On Senate Rotation

The Ijaw Youth Council (W estern Zone) has kicked against the position taken by one of its kinsmen, Chief Bare Etolor in regards to Delta South Senatorial seat, saying Etolor speaks only for his group and not for Ijaw nation.

A report in the media had quoted Etolor to have proposed a power rotation pattern on behalf of Ijaw people at a meeting with Itsekiri delegations led by Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayirimi Emami with some Ijaw leaders last week with respect to the Delta South Senatorial seat.

But reacting to the claims in the report, IYC Western Zone chairman, Comrade Frank Akiefa and his Secretary, Snr. Comrade Ebi Wonzu in a statement made available to BigPen Online on Monday, averred that Etolor group like one of the many clubs and groups in Ijaw land has no authority to act on behalf of Ijaw nation.

“Certainly, the Ijaws have alots of clubs and groups, hence one group out of many others  cannot  issue statement on political issues as Bare Etolor’s group did on the matters that concerns the Delta Senatorial District.

IYC said that Etolor’ group alone lacks the authority to present the Ijaw position to the Itsekiris ethnic group or any other group on behalf of Delta Ijaws.

It is only the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) that can do so, they held.

“Obviously the meeting between the Chief Etolor led group and the Itsekiri delegation was a private visit to Chief Etolor, otherwise the meeting would have taken place under the auspices of the Ijaw umbrella body, the INC as was the case when our Itsekiri brothers visited the Isoko Development Union (IDU) at its headquarters in Oleh, Delta State.

“The IYC wishes to advise Ijaw individuals who have personal issues with some Ijaw aspirants to go and resolve their issues instead of using groups in the name of Ijaw to promote personal grievances.

“The Ijaws of Delta State did not authorized Chief Bare Etolor to agree to a rotation pattern or make a proposal on the pattern of rotation of the Delta South Senatorial district which he did during the meeting with the Itsekiri delegation.

“Any agreement with respect to power sharing in Delta South or any other political unit must include all critical stakeholders including traditional rulers, political and opinion leaders, community leaders, youths and women groups.

“Chief Bare Etolor in his presentation at the meeting proposed that if a Candidate of Ijaw extraction wins the Delta South Senatorial elections in 2019, then the person would stay for only one term and hand over to the Itsekiris to spend two terms to handover to the Isokos for another two terms.

“However, most critically, Chief Bare Etolor failed to neither extract any commitment from the Itsekiri delegation in relation to the 64 years domination of the Warri Federal Constituency on when the Ijaws and Urhobos would take over the representation of the Warri Federal Constituency seat nor make a proposal on when the rotation would take effect in the State Houses of Assembly Seats and Chairmanship in the three Warri Local Government Areas of Delta State.

“The foregoing clearly shows that Chief Bare Etolor did not speak for Delta Ijaw people but for himself and perhaps the few persons who he selected to attend the meeting with him.

“We stand by our earlier position how best to achieve power rotation in Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West Local Government Areas, the Warri Federal Constituency and Delta South Senatotial District which is that rotation must be holistic to include all political offices in the three Warri LGAs, the Warri federal constituency and the Delta South Senatorial seat.

“The IYC western zone would no longer respond to any other Ijaw group or persons as they have a right to express their personal opinion”.