IYC: UPU Youth Wing Condemns Opposition Of Urhobo Indigene As Deputy Gov. In Bayelsa

By Daniel Dafe

The President of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Youth Wing, Worldwide, Comrade Louis Anidi, has condemned the move by Ijaw youths to stop an Urhobo indigene from becoming the deputy governor in Bayelsa State.

You will recall that Ijaw youths on Monday told the Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that they would resist any attempt to make someone from the Urhobo ethnic group a Deputy Governor in Bayelsa State.

The youths, who said they met under the auspices of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, said Bayelsa belongs to Ijaw people, adding that they would only support known indigenes, whose roots are traceable to other states.

Anidi wondered what gave the youths the audacity to come up with such an idea, saying that Delta State today dominated by the Urhobo ethnic nationality has an Ijaw indigene, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro as the Deputy Governor.

He said: “The claims that Bayelsa is a homogenous state is far from the truth because the state has the Urhobos, Isokos, Nembe, Ogbia,Epie Attisa and many other ethnic groups as Bayelsa State indigenes.

“I am aware that the Urhobos are indigenes of Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and other parts of the oil rich state and also Isoko has Okugbe Isoko as a recognized kingdom in the state.

“The IYC must retract the claim that Bayelsa is a homogenous state and also allow political parties pick who they want to be their candidate in the forthcoming election.

“As I speak, an Ijaw man, Professor Victor Peretomode, is already completing his tenure as the Vice Chancellor of the Delta State University located in an Urhobo dominated community, Abraka.”

He called on Ijaw youths to give peace a chance by not relegating any tribe in Bayelsa State to the background, adding that the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region must not be toyed with by any for selfish reasons.

“If Ijaws feel because they are the majority they can lay claim to Baylesa State then the Urhobos would start doing same to Delta State also because we are the majority here.

“Urhobos are industrious and hardworking and must be given every support to grow to any height in the political cadre in Bayelsa State,” he averred.