The Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM) has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) planned ward delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Lagos, the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements, a coalition of 130 Pan Yoruba groups, said the present repression of Itsekiri people has the potential of leading to a fresh outbreak of hostilities that may affect oil production and flare armed conflict in the region.
AYDM General Secretary Mr Popoola Ajayi said the primary causes of the crisis are the INEC’s proposed Ward Delineation Exercise in Warri Federal Constituency and a string of political and economic exclusion imposed on Itsekiri people, the award of oil pipeline protection of oil facilities in Itsekiriland to sworn enemies of Itsekiri, and the proliferation of small arms suspected of being acquired to settle scores with Itsekiri people.
The group said the exercise is already causing political issues in Delta State, which is calculated as a string of political and economic exclusion imposed on the Itsekiri people.
They called on President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to take urgent steps to prevent looming crises in the Niger Delta as a result of the exercise.
The group warned that if the Presidency fails to intervene and ensure Justice, it could lead to political unrest, but a quick intervention would prevent such an occurrence.
“We are compelled to call this conference due to the emerging crisis in the Niger Delta and the far reaching implication for democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria. We recall that for about six years, the Niger Delta was thrown into armed ethnic conflict which threatened the stability of Nigeria. We do not want to see this happen again. That conflict brought tears and blood in the Niger Delta,” the AYDM said.
The group said the crisis could be avoided if the Presidency and the security institutions respond to the current early signal warnings.
Ajayi said “It’s never too late to prevent a major crisis in the Niger Delta that may drag the entire Yoruba Nation into the crisis. We believe this can and should be avoided by all means, hence our decision to speak out.”
The AYDM said, unfortunately, if the historic injustice is not addressed, the history of violence may repeat itself.
It said it hoped this would not happen, given the various forms of crisis Nigeria is facing at the moment.
