Controversy Over New Wards: Ijaws Storm Government House Asaba In Protest

BIGPEN reports that the DSIEC had announced the creation of 34 additional wards across 10 Local Government Areas in the state, during a briefing in Asaba at the backdrop of the forthcoming councils election.

The distribution of the new wards as obtained from the commission’s website are as follows: “Aniocha North (six), Aniocha South (six), Bomadi (one), Ika North East (one), Ika South (two), Oshimili North (six), Oshimili South (six), Patani (one), Ukwuani (four) and Warri South (one),” rounding up the numbers of wards in each of the LGAs to 20.

But the exercise, is currently causing confusion and tension in some part of the state with mass protest by hundreds of women and youths and people of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Urban community in Warri South council area.

In an earlier protest in Warri, the protesters had demanded the immediate reversal of the new ward (Warri South) to be solely for the Ijaws, claiming that until the creation of the LGA, Ogbe-Ijoh had two wards.

An opinion leader from the community, Friday Deinghan who spoke on behalf of the protesters, called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to address the situation before it escalates and truncates the existing peace in the state.

He stated that neighbouring Itsekiri and Urhobo people who have 10 and nine wards respectively, in the LGA should show “a sense of friendship and fairness”, that this people (Ogbe-Ijoh urban area) really need this (ward)”.