2 weeks Ago By Ado Oyeyemi
The Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), a coalition representing 130 pan-Yoruba socio-political and professional organisations, has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what it describes as growing unrest in the Niger Delta. The group also urged National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to collaborate closely with the president in resolving what it termed the political and economic marginalisation of the Itsekiri people in Warri Federal Constituency. At a press conference in Lagos, AYDM General Secretary Popoola Ajayi, alongside Yoruba leaders Wale Osun and Kunle Oshodi, expressed deep concern over what they see as systemic exclusion of the Itsekiri community.
The coalition pointed to actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including an ongoing attempt to redraw electoral ward boundaries, as a major cause for alarm. According to AYDM, the redistricting process is reducing historically recognised Itsekiri wards from ten to six, while expanding those of neighbouring Ijaw and Urhobo communities. The group views this as a deliberate act of provocation that could reignite ethnic tensions and jeopardise national stability.
The coalition also accused authorities of ignoring court rulings that uphold the existing ward structures in Itsekiri areas and criticised the relocation of local government headquarters from Itsekiri to Ijaw communities. Further grievances included the awarding of pipeline surveillance contracts in Itsekiri territory to companies perceived as hostile to the community, and the desecration of sacred groves and temples by security forces allegedly acting on behalf of non-Itsekiri interests. AYDM demanded the immediate withdrawal of these contracts and called for a federal inquiry into INEC’s ward delineation efforts in the Warri constituency.
The group urged the enforcement of existing court decisions and the investigation of INEC and boundary commission officials, accusing them of participating in what it described as a “grand conspiracy to erase the Itsekiri people from their ancestral homeland.” “This issue goes beyond the Itsekiri community,” the statement read. “It is a matter of justice, equity, and the rule of law.
The Yoruba nation will not remain silent in the face of injustice toward our kith and kin.”.
