Niger Delta advocate and former Warri South Council chairmanship hopeful, Monoyo Edon, has issued a response to recent assertions made by the ex-militant leader and Gbaramatu Ijaw figure, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, over land and population dominance in Warri South-West Local Council.

Describing Tompolo?s remarks as historically misleading and potentially inflammatory, Edon urged caution, accusing the Gbaramatu leader of attempting to rewrite history and stir ethnic unrest between the Itsekiri and Ijaw peoples.

?Let us not allow unfounded narratives to divide a region that has long existed in coexistence,? Edon warned, stressing that Tompolo?s claim of Gbaramatu Ijaw dominance is demographically and historically incorrect.?

He stated firmly that the Gbaramatu Ijaw, while influential, represents only a subset of the Ijaw population in Warri South-West and does not rival the Itsekiris in terms of spread or numbers. ?You cannot isolate Gbaramatu from Itsekiri lands like Omadino and Ugborodo. These are age-old Itsekiri communities that predate modern assertions,? Edon explained.

Criticising the historical foundation of Gbaramatu Kingdom, which, he claimed, emerged only recently in 2017, Edon questioned its legitimacy compared to the Warri Kingdom established in 1480 AD. ?What evidence is there that Gbaramatu existed before the 21st Century? Even the relatively recent Okere-Urhobo and Agbassa Kingdoms are older,? he added.

He challenged what he described as an attempt to mislead the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with inflated population claims, accusing Tompolo?s camp of pushing ethnic superiority to gain political advantages, such as ward delineation. ?You say Gbaramatu has more people than all of Itsekiri? That?s not just incorrect, it?s offensive,? Edon noted. (The Guardian)

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