By Jimitota Onoyume
A group Community Development Committee of the Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas, has berated leaders of Ijaw and Urhobo of Warri who spoke at a joint press conference of the ethnic nationalities recently at Asaba for trying to demonize the first lady of the country Senator Oluremi Tinubu over the report of the ward redelineation exercise of the Warri federal Constituency by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Chairman of the board of trust of the group , Mr Joseph Ambakederimo, in a statement to the Vanguard said it was disheartening to hear they dragged and attacked the first lady over the report of the electoral commission , urging them to discontinue such an act.
He said there was no verifiable evidence showing that the first lady interfered with the whole exercise.
The statement reads : ” We watched with amazement the news conference held at the INEC office Asaba, which was aired by Arise News on the 2nd of June, 2026. The said news conference was staged by the leaders of the Ijaws and that of Urhobos of the Warri Federal Constituency over the delay in the implementation of the INEC report and the Supreme Court judgement on the INEC report on delineation of the Constituency.
“While it is the right of the indigenous people to seek redress over matters of perceived injustice in their areas, it is most regrettable for these Ijaw and Urhobo leaders to engage in personality attacks, especially that of the First Lady and wife of the President, Senator (Mrs) Oluremi Tinubu. Attacking the first lady and name calling amounts to defamation of character, as there is no evidence of this statement of meddling into the implementation, by the first lady.”
Ambakederimo, further berated the leaders for threatening to disrupt oil and gas production in the Warri federal constituency over the INEC’S report , adding that their actions went too far.
“They went extremely to offer threats to oil production infrastructures which amounts to acts likely to cause economic sabotage. The Ijaws and Urhobos are well educated people. Their actions doesn’t reflect the true character of the Ijaws and Urhobos people in dispute resolutions, we seek the forgiveness of the First Lady on their behalf.
“The CDC hereby advise those concerned to sort out their grievances, by engaging with the government institutions concerned, in this instance INEC, and stop associating the First Lady with the implementation delay by INEC.
“The continuous use of the language of threat and attacks on oil installation in the Warri Federal Constituency as a way of venting their grievance should be discontinued forthwith “, he said.
