The Ijaw National Congress (INC) Western Zone, comprising Delta, Edo and Ondo states, has condemned a motion sponsored on the floor of the House of Representatives by Rt. Hon. Omosede Gabriella Igbinedion, the member representing Ovia Federal Constituency in Edo State, that allegedly demanded for the exclusion of Ijaw communities in the state from the proposed Toru-Ibe State, describing it as "reckless, provocative, historically dishonest, constitutionally arrogant and dangerously capable of igniting avoidable tension in Edo State and across the Niger Delta."

In a statement signed by the INC Western Zone Chairman, Barr. Priye Noel Kuete, the body warned the Edo State legislator to desist from acts aimed at tarnishing the image of the Ijaws or attacking their legitimate concerns.

Part of the statement reads, "We firmly warn Rt. Hon. Omosede Igbinedion to immediately desist from legislative actions, public utterances, or political manoeuvres that misrepresent history, demonise the Ijaw people, or portray legitimate constitutional agitation as a threat to Edo State.

"No individual, regardless of office or privilege, has the moral or constitutional authority to inflame ethnic sentiments or delegitimise the ancestral existence of the Ijaw people in Edo State under the guise of protecting territorial integrity."

The INC Western Zone said that the fragile peace in the Niger Delta, which was painstakingly earned through genuine dialogue, must not be toyed with, and warned that any attempt to attack the constitutional rights of the Ijaws to self-determination is a threat to peace.

"Let it be clearly understood: The relative peace currently enjoyed in the Niger Delta did not come by accident. It is the result of painful sacrifices, dialogue, restraint and deliberate efforts by indigenous peoples, particularly the Ijaw Nation to pursue justice through lawful and constitutional means.

"Any attempt to politically erase Ijaw communities, label them as encroachers on their ancestral lands, or preemptively shut down their constitutional right to self-determination, risks reopening old wounds and reversing hard-won stability.

"The INC will not accept responsibility for the consequences of irresponsible political grandstanding that disregards the delicate ethnic balance of the South-South region," it warned.

The body further rejected the "claim that the riverine communities in question are exclusively Benin lands", describing such narrative as "historical falsehood repeated for political convenience" and reminded those promoting such falsehoods that "Long before colonial boundaries, long before modern Edo State, Ijaw people occupied, governed, fished, traded and established settlements across these riverine territories," stressing that "History is not decided by motions. Ancestry is not cancelled by resolutions. Indigeneity is not erased by parliamentary votes."

While stating the Ijaws' rights to agitate for the creation of Toru-Ibe State as a constitutional right guaranteed under Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), noted that such arose in "response to decades of marginalisation, neglect and exclusion" of the Ijaws and as such to "criminalise this aspiration or frame it as an attempt to 'take Edo land' is deliberately inflammatory and intellectually dishonest."

The INC Western Zone further reiterated that "No nationality, however ancient, has exclusive ownership of the Nigerian federation or absolute veto power over the destiny of minorities" and stated further that "Attempts to intimidate the Ijaw people through political resolutions will fail and be resisted through lawful, constitutional and organised means."

The Ijaw National Congress (INC), Western Zone, in its demands, "condemns the motion in its entirety as provocative and anti-minority; demands an immediate halt to legislative actions capable of inciting ethnic tension in Edo State; calls on Rt. Hon. Omosede Igbinedion to retract and moderate her stance in the interest of peace; insists that Toru-Ibe State be subjected to due constitutional process, not ethnic intimidation; and warns all political actors to refrain from actions that could destabilise the Niger Delta."

Barr. Kuete pledged that while the body remained "committed to dialogue, constitutionalism and coexistence," however said that it "will firmly resist any attempt to erase our people, our history, or our future."

#penglobalcommunity #INC #WesternZone #Edo #Delta