Dafinone Allegedly Worked Against Ethiope State, Rooted for Anioma – Committee Claims

…Urhobo advocates accuse Delta Central senator of endorsing rival state bid, claiming credit for Ethiope name, and attending hearing only for photos

The Ethiope State Creation Committee has issued a damning verdict on Senator Ede Dafinone, accusing the Delta Central senator of signing in support of Anioma State while sending committee members to consult on his behalf, claiming credit for a name he did not propose, and attending a public hearing solely for photographs.

The document, signed by Chairman Chief Dr. Christopher Ominimini Obiuwevbi, Secretary Engr. Chief Anthony Ochuko Onyokoko, and Publicity Secretary Dr. Wilson Omene, and dated July 10, 2026, describes the relationship with Dafinone as one of “sustained disappointment, strategic betrayal, and zero legislative output.”

“Senator Ede Dafinone produced zero legislative output for Ethiope State,” the document states. “Zero. That is not a performance gap. That is a betrayal — cold, sustained, and documented.”

The committee says Dafinone was the first person they approached when the Ethiope agitation began. A delegation led by Chief Dr. Ominimini, including Dr. Omene, met him in Abuja and presented a comprehensive summary covering land mass, population, economic viability, infrastructure, and resources required for state creation.

“We had done the groundwork. We had done his homework. We placed it all in his hands and said: here is the work, here is the mandate, now lead,” the document states. “He looked at everything we brought. And he did nothing.”

Advertisement

The most serious allegation concerns Dafinone’s endorsement of the Anioma State bid championed by Senator Ned Nwoko. The committee alleges that while its members were conducting consultations the senator had requested, he quietly signed for Anioma State without informing the Urhobo delegation.

When Dr. Omene confronted him with social media evidence, the senator did not deny it. “He admitted it quietly, like a man who knows he has been caught but cannot find the words to explain himself,” the document states.

The committee says his explanation was that if Anioma was created, Urhobo would become the majority in Delta and always produce the governor. The committee calls this “constitutionally illiterate,” noting that electing a governor requires the highest votes and at least one-quarter in two-thirds of LGAs. When pressed, it adds, Dafinone suggested Delta Central should apply for more LGAs.

“What exactly did you receive, from whom, and when, in exchange for your endorsement of Anioma State?” the document demands. “The Urhobo people, who are not naive, are still waiting for the real answer.”

The committee also rebuts Dafinone’s claim that he was “instrumental” in changing the proposed name from Urhobo State to Ethiope State.

“It is a lie,” the document states. Ethiope was adopted internally as Plan B after Ambassador Chief Dr. Omodoro Adeseye-Ogunlewe, Chair of the Diaspora Committee, suggested an ethnic name could attract resistance in Abuja, based on advice from her husband, former Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe.

Advertisement

“Senator Dafinone was not in that room,” the document states. “He did not propose the name. He did not suggest an alternative. He contributed nothing to that deliberation. He was briefed after the decision had been made.”

The committee reserves particular criticism for Dafinone’s appearance at the South-South Zonal Public Hearing on the 1999 Constitution Review in Yenagoa. The Ethiope State Creation Bill was sponsored by Hon. Benedict Etanabene, not the senator. The committee says Dafinone sat silently until invited by Committee Chairman Hon. Professor Julius Ihonvbere, then gave a brief statement of support.

“We made quiet enquiries afterwards and what we found was simple: he came for a photograph,” the document states. “He wanted to be seen at an event he did not create, for a cause he had treated with sustained indifference.”

The committee also rejects Dafinone’s claim that the movement is an APC project. It notes the Religious Sub-Committee is led by Bishop Blessing Erifeta with Bishop Dr. Harriton Akpodiete and Most Reverend Dr. Isaac Obie — none holding party cards. The Diaspora Committee is headed by Ambassador Ogunlewe. It adds that LGA chairmen who supported the cause were PDP members.

The document reveals Dafinone was formally invited to the committee’s stakeholders’ conference at Ughelli Town Hall on January 17, 2025, attended by over 1,000 Urhobo people. He did not attend, send a representative, or send a solidarity message.

The committee addresses Dafinone’s criticism that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was not formally involved. It argues open involvement would expose the Governor to accusations of supporting state fragmentation, and that he was engaged discreetly. It then contrasts this with the senator’s own conduct. “The same senator who signed publicly for Anioma State is now lecturing us about discretion,” it notes.

Advertisement

The committee’s verdict is blunt: “You cannot give what you do not have. He does not have the courage this fight requires. He does not have the legislative discipline that his time in the Senate demanded. He does not appear to have the genuine, unconditional love for the Urhobo Nation that this moment requires.”

Despite the indictment, the committee appeals to Dafinone to file the Ethiope State Creation Bill before his tenure ends. “Not for your legacy. Not for the 2027 campaign. For them. Just once, for them,” it states.

It concludes with a warning: “The creation of Ethiope State will happen. It will happen with you or without you. But history will record, with precision and permanence, exactly where you stood when the moment came — and exactly what you chose to do with it.”

Senator Ede Dafinone had not issued a public response at the time of going to press.