BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

Ijaw  in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, have said the alleged political marginalisation and manipulation of Egbema Ijaw people should be corrected ahead of 2015 general elections, for peace to reign in the state.

Speaking through former Labour Party, LP, candidate, for Warri North State Constituency in 2011 general elections, Mr. Adanse Felix, they said since the creation of the council over 21 years ago, the Ijaws had not occupied any elective or appointive position.

They said “all such positions were the exclusive reserve of the Itsekiri people to the exclusion of the Egbema people, who are also part and parcel of the council. The Ijaws are always edged out at every election.

“This was too much for the Ijaws to bear, hence in 2011, we took the bull by the horn to challenge this by contesting for the Delta State House of Assembly on the platform of Labour Party, in the Warri North constituency. But the poll was manipulated against us.

“Our question is: Are the Ijaws not human beings? Why the oppression and injustice?”

Recently, a group, Egbemas for Positive Change, came up with a possible resolution to the political impasse, suggest- ing that  all elective and appointive positions should be equally shared between the Egbema people and the Itsekiris on 50:50 basis.

It said anything short of this arrangement shall spell doom for the locality. “Based on the position of the group, and to avert any crisis that would result from the threat of the group, we wish to sincerely appeal to well placed individuals with conscience, and most especially Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to look into this issue with a view to correcting these grievous anomalies, imbalance, marginalisation against the Ijaw people in Warri North council. The Ijaws will never accept the second-class-citizen status in their council any further.”