Press Statement
PRESS STATEMENT BY THE GBARAMATU LAWYERS ASSOCIATION ON THE RELEASE OF INEC’S FIELD REPORT OF THE JUST CONCLUDED WARRI FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY DELINEATION EXERCISE. APRIL 14, 2025.
Being Text of a Statement released by the Gbaramatu Lawyers Association on the Release of INEC’S Field Report of the Just Concluded Warri Federal Constituency Delineation Exercise, Held at TM Hotel, Airport Road, Effurun, April 14, 2025.
The Gbaramatu Lawyers Association is the umbrella body of all qualified Legal Practitioners of Gbaramatu extraction worldwide. The core principles of our Association include: the promotion of the rule of law as well as the enforcement, promotion of the rights of the Gbaramatu people in line with constitutional provisions and other extant legislations.
Whilst it is not the habit of the Association to make public statements on just any matter of public discourse or trends, recent developments and subsequent negative reactions surrounding the fresh delineation exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Warri Federal Constituency in line with the decision of the Supreme Court of Nigeria have made it expedient that we take a position on the said matter. Our statement on the subject has become even more necessary owing to the several threats being made by our Itsekiri neighbours.
Chronology of Events Leading to the Supreme Court Decision in Suit No: SC/413/2016: HON. GEORGE U. TIMINIMI & 9 ORS v. INEC.
In 2011, having noticed the overwhelming fictitious units and ward structures in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State, which were being used to rig, manipulate and to subvert the will of the people of Warri Federal Constituency during elections, the Appellants in Suit No: SC/413/2016: HON. GEORGE U. TIMINIMI & 9 ORS v. INEC approached the Federal High Court and filed a suit against INEC, seeking an order of the Honourable Court to, amongst other things, order a “fresh delineation of all that units and wards in the Warri Federal Constituency for the purpose of future elections.”
The Federal High Court dismissed the suit and termed same as an academic exercise.
Dissatisfied with the said decision of the Federal High Court, the Appellants in line with their constitutionally guaranteed rights and with a dogged resolve to emancipate the entire constituency from the grave injustice of electoral manipulations, proceeded to the Court of Appeal, Benin Division. However, despite making very strong and cogent legal arguments, the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of the lower Court and once again decided against the Appellants.
Further dissatisfied with the decision of the Court of Appeal, the Appellants approached the Supreme Court for final redress in the said matter, hoping against hope and defying all odds. Fortunately, the Supreme Court, in a well-considered decision, with the lead judgment delivered by the Hon. Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji, JSC, on the 2nd of December, 2022 agreed with the arguments of the Appellants and ordered INEC to carry out “a fresh delineation of all that units and wards in the Warri Federal Constituency for the purposes of future elections”.
With one simple but strong and eternal blow, the Supreme Court, being the apex court in Nigeria, dismantled all the fictitious and baseless units and ward structures within the Warri Federal Constituency and paved the way for the correction of all electoral injustice, sharp practices and manipulations, which our people have suffered for decades.
Attempts at Frustrating the Supreme Court Order
The Association notes with utmost dismay the number of suits filed in lower courts by the Itsekiris all in a bid to frustrate the enforcement of the Supreme Court order. A suit was filed at the Federal High Court seeking to prevent INEC from proceeding with the delineation exercise. The said suit lingered for months with their counsels changed several times but at the end the Court dismissed the said suit for being a complete waste of time.
Again, in another calculated attempt to shut INEC from further implementing the judgment and releasing the result of the delineation exercise, they approached the Federal High Court, Abuja. Sadly, after several arguments and adjournments, the Federal High Court dismissed the said suit and this paved the way for INEC to release the said delineation report.
Time will fail the Association to mention several press releases, statements, and interviews on national television and online platforms sponsored by the Itsekiris to prevent the enforcement of the said judgment. Till date, all kinds of frivolous suits are still being filed and pursued all in a bid to ensure that the order of the Supreme Court does not come to light. The latest being a suit filed at the Federal High Court Warri questioning the membership of the panel that conducted the delineation exercise on grounds of ethnicity.
We know as a matter of fact that if any of the justices that presided over the case that ordered the fresh delineation of the units and wards in the Warri Federal Constituency was an Ijaw or Urhobo, they would have heavily termed the panel as corrupt and biased. All these are attempts to frustrate the implementation of the judgment. However, we are not deterred. We take solace in the evergreen latin maxim that says “fiat justitia ruat caelum” …let justice be done though the heavens fall…”
We also reiterate the position of law as emphasised in KANAWA & ANOR v INEC & ORS. (2020) LPELR-52117(CA), where the court made the point that “it is not controverted, that Courts do not exist for the purpose of interpreting the decisions of other Courts. Once a decision is given and that decision is tested at the Supreme Court, the matter ends there.”
Inflammatory and Inciting Statements
Since the release of the delineation report by INEC, there have been several comments and videos on social media platforms even from prominent leaders of the Itsekiri nationality inciting Itsekiri communities to take up arms against the Gbaramatu people. We would like to remind all the dramatis personae in the said scheme of incitement that they and their followers shall and will be criminally liable in the event that any member of the communities in Gbaramatu is attacked or maimed as result of their remarks. We also use this opportunity to call on all security agencies (NSA, DSS, the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Army, Navy etc.) to invite, investigate and prosecute anybody or group persons who have made such inciting remarks in order to prevent a total breakdown of law and order in the Warri Federal Constituency.
Our Advice to INEC
Whilst we are pleased that INEC has finally taken steps to adhere to the decision of the Supreme Court, we however note that it took close to three years before the electoral umpire could adhere to the decision of the apex court. More concerning is the fact that INEC did not adhere to the decision of the Supreme Court in Suit No: SC/413/2016: HON. GEORGE U. TIMINIMI & 9 ORS v. INEC before conducting the 2023 General Elections in the Warri Federal Constituency.
In any event, we advise INEC to uphold the integrity of the Findings and Report that emanated from their field work. We urge INEC not to be deterred as they are statutorily bound to adhere to the decision of the Supreme Court and carry out their statutory duty as ordered by the Supreme Court, without more. We warn that any attempt to reverse their Findings and Reports which emanated from their field work would amount to an infraction of an already settled judicial process.
Finally, as far as the delineation exercise is concerned, justice has been done and the heavens did not fall.
Signed:
FRIDAY EMOTIMIDE ESQ, President
WERISINDE TIMIYAN ESQ, Secretary
Press Statement
PRESS STATEMENT: PANDEF WELCOMES ONGOING REFORMS IN THE OIL AND GAS SECTOR AND DEMANDS FOR GREATER POSITIONING FOR PROFESSIONALS FROM THE NIGER DELTA
Being Text of Press Statement Issued by the Pan-Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF)
The news of the recent reforms in the regulatory arms of Nigeria’s oil sector has come to the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and indeed the entire Niger Delta with great appreciation and expectation.
We particularly applaud the appointment of one of Nigeria’s most competent professionals in the oil and gas sector, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as CEO of Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). Indeed, this particular appointment could be described as putting a square peg in a square hole, and we thank His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for this.
Mrs. Eyesan, a seasoned economist, has left her mark in the Nigerian petroleum industry, having previously served as Executive Vice President (Upstream) in NNPC. In all her professional life, she has always left a mark of diligence, excellence and impact, wherever she served. She showcases a panache, making all Nigerians, and indeed, our womenfolk exceptionally proud of her service to the country.
It is our belief that, with her in charge of upstream and corresponding appointment of another competent Nigerian, Engr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of the Nigeria Mid-Stream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, Mr. President is set to take the Nigerian oil and gas sector on a quantum leap into the future.
We, the people of the Niger Delta, are greatly impressed with these changes, and hope that the holistic reforms would be sustained. This is the only way to ensure that the oil and gas industry continues to play the paramount role which it has been doing for the common economic interest of all Nigerians and places Nigeria as a dominant player in the global energy architecture.
PANDEF again take this opportunity to express the hope that, as Mr. President will continue to follow through with these reforms in the sector, more sons and daughters of the Niger Delta from where the country has the highest number of experienced professionals in the sector, would be brought into other top positions within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation {NNPC} and the industry at large. Furthermore, we look forward to sustained efforts of the Federal Government in putting in place a robust programme for the environmental remediation of the Niger Delta. The Federal Government must go beyond Ogoni Clean-up to ensure that there is budgetary provision on annual basis to clean up the damaged environments of the Niger Delta in a sustained manner.
These changes present another opportunity to call on the Federal Government to put in place a robust programme to promote the building of modular refineries in the Niger Delta. In 2018, government had committed itself to setting up a Modular Refinery Development Fund, similar to the Solid Minerals Development Fund. This must be urgently looked into and encouraged as a way of carrying more host communities along in implementing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), creating more economic activities in the Niger Delta and ensuring that the sector has greater stability for the overall good of the country.
Finally, as the apex body representing host communities, PANDEF reaffirms its commitment to working closely with Federal and State governments in mobilising our people to ensure that the right enabling environment exists for this important sector to continue to play its deserved role.
Dr. Godknows Boladei Igali,
National Chairman
Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini
National Publicity Secretary
Press Statement
PRESS STATEMENT: THE IJAW NATION MUST REMAIN CALM, UNITED, AND STRATEGIC IN THE FACE OF RECENT POLITICAL DEFECTIONS – INC
PRESS STATEMENT:
THE IJAW NATION MUST REMAIN CALM, UNITED, AND STRATEGIC IN THE FACE OF RECENT POLITICAL DEFECTIONS
By Prof. Benjamin Okaba, President, Ijaw National Congress
1. The Ijaw National Congress (INC) has observed with keen interest the recent gale of political defections across Nigeria and particularly in Bayelsa State, the epicentre of our national homeland.
While the INC, as a body, remains non-partisan and does not dictate the political choices of our people, we are deeply concerned about the implications of these rapid political realignments on the unity, stability, and long-term strategic interests of the Ijaw nation.
2. We acknowledge the wisdom of those who strongly believe that this move carries inherent dangers that could undermine the Ijaw’s political standing, especially in terms of contribution to a One-Party State, that could diminish their strategic leverage to negotiate between competing national parties, potentially making them politically captive to a single entity; the risk of internal division that could weaken collective action; the erosion of a distinct political identity, by aligning with the party that controls the federal government could be perceived as a dilution of the core Ijaw struggle, trading a principled stance for pragmatic gains and potentially causing ideological confusion.
3. We also fully appreciate the principled position of majority of our leaders who view this move as a strategic calculation, with implications for enhanced national integration; moving the Ijaw from the political periphery—often in opposition—into the center of federal power, a shift from being an “isolated island of opposition” to the “mainland of collaboration”, as this could end a period of political isolation and integrate the Ijaw more fully into Nigeria’s governing structure; a path to economic development, as proximity to the federal government is historically linked to the allocation of resources and projects. To these optimists the Ijaw nation could leverage this new alignment to attract critical federal infrastructure—such as roads, seaports, and power projects—to the difficult terrain of the Niger Delta, addressing long-standing developmental deficits and; that having direct political access for being part of the ruling party grants a seat at the table of national decision-making. This access could allow Ijaw leaders to influence policies directly affecting the region, from oil revenue derivation formulas to environmental regulations and security matters in the creeks, rather than protesting these issues from the outside.
4. In times of such political volatility, it is easy for emotions to run high and for our collective focus to be fractured. Therefore, we issue this statement to call for utmost calm, strategic thinking, and unwavering unity among all Ijaw people, regardless of political affiliation.a. A Call for Composure Over Reaction: We urge our sons and daughters, our leaders and followers, not to be swayed by the transient winds of political expediency. We must not allow these developments to create division, animosity, or internal conflict within our communities. The peace and stability of the Ijaw Nation are paramount and non-negotiable.
b. The Supremacy of the Ijaw Interest: The INC wishes to remind all Ijaw politicians that their primary allegiance is to the Ijaw people. Political platforms are vehicles for advancement, but the destination must always be the development, empowerment, and protection of the Ijaw national interest. We caution against actions that sacrifice our collective destiny on the altar of personal ambition or short-term gains.
c. Guarding Our Political Voice: History has taught us that our strength often lies in our ability to maintain a distinct and formidable voice in the Nigerian federation. We must be strategic and discerning, ensuring that our political choices do not lead to the erosion of our hard-earned political relevance or relegate us to the periphery of national decision-making.
d. Unity as Our Bedrock: Now, more than ever, we must close ranks. The INC will continue to provide a neutral ground for dialogue and engagement to ensure that the Ijaw nation emerges from this period stronger and more cohesive. We warn external forces against exploiting this situation to cause disharmony within our ranks.
The Ultimate Implication: A Test of Strategic Execution
5. In an unbiased assessment, the defection itself is less critical than what follows. The primary implication for the Ijaw nation is that it presents a high-stakes test of political skill. The benefits may not be automatic, and the risks may not be inevitable. The outcome hinges on whether Ijaw leadership can:
i. Achieve Internal Cohesion: Unify the various political factions within and outside the APC to present a solid, common front.
ii. Leverage Access Effectively: Convert the newfound proximity to power into tangible, lasting benefits for the Ijaw people, not just for a political class.
iii. Protect Core Interests: Ensure that the strategic identity and long-standing demands for equity and environmental justice are not silenced but are more effectively championed from within the system.
6. Let it be clear: The Ijaw nation is greater than any single political party or individual. Our journey for justice, equity, and fair inclusion in the Nigerian project is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires patience, wisdom, and a united front.
7. The INC stands ready to guide and provide leadership through this period. We call on all Ijaw socio-cultural groups, youth organizations, women leaders, and traditional rulers to join hands in fostering understanding and a strategic approach to the current political realities.
The Ijaw spirit is unbreakable. Let us navigate this moment with the wisdom of our ancestors and the courage that defines us.
Long live the Ijaw Nation!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Prof. Benjamin Okaba,
President, Ijaw National Congress (INC)
Press Statement
NIGERIA AT 65: A SOLEMN REMINDER OF THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF JUSTICE AND SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE IJAW NATION
PRESS STATEMENT:
October 1, 2025
NIGERIA AT 65: A SOLEMN REMINDER OF THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF JUSTICE AND SELF-DETERMINATION FOR THE IJAW NATION
By: Professor Benjamin Okaba
President, Ijaw National Congress (INC)
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
On the occasion of Nigeria’s 65th year of political independence, the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the apex socio-cultural and political organization of the Ijaw people, finds no serious cause for any grandiose celebrations, beyond appreciating God and providence for getting us together as one single political entity. Instead, this anniversary serves as a solemn and painful reminder of 65 years of internal colonialism, calculated marginalization, and the systemic expropriation of our wealth and rights.
For the Ijaw nation, the Nigerian project has been a story of broken promises and brazen injustice. While our land and waters have produced the oil and gas that have fueled the nation’s economy for decades, we have been rewarded with nothing but extreme poverty, environmental devastation, and political suppression. The much-celebrated unity of Nigeria remains a myth, built upon the foundation of our oppression.
Our stance is not one of mere grievance, but one grounded in historical fact and legal right. The Ijaw people, as distinct owners of a territory with pre-1914 treaties with the British Crown, never willingly surrendered our sovereignty. The Nigerian state, as it is constituted, has consistently violated the principles of true federalism upon which it was supposedly founded.
The recent political crisis in Rivers State, where the rights of an Ijaw son were trampled with federal acquiescence, is only the latest chapter in this long history of disrespect. It demonstrates a persistent pattern where the might of the state is deployed not for justice, but to subjugate the Ijaw will.
Furthermore, laws like the Land Use Decree, Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) are not instruments of reform but a continuation of the legalized plunder of our resources. Our environment remains a sacrifice zone, with oil spills and gas flaring destroying our ecosystem and livelihoods with impunity.
Given this reality, we have come to a definitive conclusion: the pursuit of justice within the current Nigerian framework is a futile endeavour. Our hope no longer resides within Therefore, on this 65th anniversary, we reiterate our commitment to the Global Awakening of the Ijaw Struggle for Self determination.
We hereby call upon the international community, including the United Nations, the African Union, and all global citizens of conscience, to take note of the plight of the Ijaw people. We invoke the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to legitimize our quest for self-determination. Our demand is for the right to manage our resources, protect our environment, and determine our political destinies.
Let it be clear: our quest is for justice, not secession by force. We shall pursue this cause through peaceful, strategic, and diplomatic means, as is our right under international law.
To the Nigerian State, our message is this: the Ijaw people can no longer be spectators in a nation built on our backs. The current structure is unsustainable. The time for a sincere national dialogue that addresses the fundamental issues of resource control, true federalism, and the rights of nationalities is long overdue.
Until that day of reckoning, do not expect us to celebrate an independence that has only deepened our chains.
Long live ljaw Ethnic Nation
Professor Benjamin Okaba
President,
Global Ijaw National Congress (INC).