Itsekiri's Have Established Dominion Over Warri Federal Constituency Above Any Other Tribe - Ariyo

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:03][music] Earlier this week on the morning show, Victor Kumagabba, a prominent Eurobbo leader accused the independent national electoral commission in of creating confusion over the war delination process in the war federal constituency through what he described as inconsistent positions on the issue.

[00:00:25]According to him, the commission should stop shifting positions and proceed with the execution of the delination report already produced for the constituency.

[00:00:36]Joining us on this show to lend his voice to the worry federal constituencies dispute is Chief Robinson Ario, a prominent Shakiri legal practitioner. Good morning, Chief Ario and good to see you. It's a pleasure to be with you guys. Well, as predicted when we had chief Okumaga earlier in the week, I had predicted that before you you knew [laughter] it for >> reply the just say they want the right of reply and I asked that when will there be peace in worry.

[00:01:17]I think he more or less said well we just don't have problems robus don't have problems that is this that are causing problems and some of your youth went to INC headquarters to go and protest over the same subject they they were allegedly reportedly attacked by ths so why is it so difficult because this is all based on a Supreme Court decision >> and you know why why is the community, you know, challenging the Supreme Court over acted based on the orders of court.

[00:01:52]Yeah. Um, you see, to put my response in perspective, I would like to let the viewers know >> that Delta State is made up of 25 local government council areas and there are five major ethnic groups in Delta State.

[00:02:08]Now the delta eos control nine, the robos next in turn control eight. The jaws control three and the sooos control two. The only three that the shakiris control are the worry south, worry southwest and worry north. So the correct picture is that while the robos keep their eight local government council area peacefully in their kitty and the jaws put their three peacefully in their kitty. The only place that the sheimis can call home and which they have called home for over 500 years even before Nigeria was born. Now if you Google it >> before the days of dorma. Yes, if you Google it, >> the current olu of is the 21st Olu of the indication of that is that there have been 24 olus and none of these tribes can boast of three kings or even two kings. What that tells you is that the Shakiri people have established dominion [snorts] over that area for a very long time. Now I told a friend while I was coming to the studio I said this discussion is a nationally important discussion. Why?

[00:03:27]Because one of the fears that minorities had pre-independence was the fear of marginalization and domination.

[00:03:38]And that was why the British government established the Wilkins Commission to address the fears of the minorities. And that led to the reason why I came with some of this document is for us to understand the founding fathers of Nigeria put a provision in the constitution section 14 to protect the minorities.

[00:03:59]Federal character.

[00:04:00]>> Federal character. And it says in subsection 2, 3 and 4 that benefits and entitlement should be so distributed that one ethnic nationality does not predominate.

[00:04:13]Now you talked about protest. Protest is a civilized way of venting anger. In a constitutional democracy that there's what you call civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the way that legitimate citizens express their resentment and opposition to government policies and programs. You talked about Supreme Court judgment. I don't want to talk about how the Supreme Court judgment was obtained.

[00:04:39]But take a look at that Supreme Court judgment. You will see that that Supreme Court judgment was only a section of people in worry that went to court quietly with Ink.

[00:04:52]That judgment that case was instituted for and on behalf of the ejors of worry.

[00:05:00]It was brought in representative capacity. You have spoken just now that the issue at the appropriate time we will go after the legal practitioners that were involved because it amounts to a breach of professional ethics for you to approach a court without disclosing to the court necessary parties in the action. I want you to think about it.

[00:05:27]Think about it very well. This is a case that left from the federal high court to the court of appeal and to the Supreme Court and you want to adjudicate over a dispute that concerns three ethnicities and the only person that got there was only one of them and so the judgment creditor of that judgment is the people of a jaw of worry federal constituency.

[00:05:52]One of the pillars of justice is a utter pattern. That means you must listen to both sides. The funny thing is that as at the time they were doing that case, they instead the case in 2011 the shakiris had a judgment in their favor in respect of the same subject matter.

[00:06:11]And the interesting thing is that at the federal high court you are required to depose to an affidavit that is called affidavit of non multiplicity of suits.

[00:06:20]So the rigging of that case came even before the case. Now the judgment that the Shakir the Jakiris obtained in 2003 was still in existence and Ink was participating in the enforcement proceedings at the same time participating in the one that led to Supreme Court judgment. I will tell you something funny the judgment that the Shakist obtained in 2003 and [snorts] the judgment of the Supreme Court they are at par.

[00:06:49]Okay. Why have you not gone back to the same Supreme Court?

[00:06:52]>> Good to point out some of these infractions since there are rules of court levels.

[00:06:58]>> I agree with you. The fact is that we will do that. But the Nigeria >> after the 2027 election.

[00:07:03]>> No. You see, I will show you something in this constitution that will surprise you that nothing can even be done until after the election.

[00:07:12]If I ask you to read section 115 of the constitution, >> you can you can Yes. If you let me show you. You see once there is a pending delination that delination does not become effective until the end of the lifpan of the existing house and the approval of the national assembly. This is what many people don't know. And so you are asking you are asking you actually asking the ink to violate the constitution. It reads, he said, "Where boundaries of any state constituent established under section 112 of this constitution are altered in accordance with the provisions of section 114 of the constitution." They went to court with section 114.

[00:08:00]That alteration shall come into effect after it has been approved by the National Assembly and after the current life of the House of Assembly. Perhaps let somebody else read it so that so that it not be that I'm using a Shakiri sense to read read it.

[00:08:13]>> [laughter] >> So what is what is the what is the remedy? 115 right >> 115 >> 115 time when alteration of state constituencies takes effect where the boundaries of any state constituency established under section 112 of this constitution are altered in accordance with provisions of section 114 of this constitution that alteration shall come into effect after it has been approved by the national assembly and after the current life of the house of assembly.

[00:08:42]So what is the remedy? Because we're seeing the protesting. We see we we're seeing a lot of the back and forth in the public space such as this. This is the this is just a court of public opinion. What is the remedy?

[00:08:53]>> Follow procedure. Follow the rule of law. People who come out and say in the face of this the law the Supreme Court didn't say you should violate the constitution. People can't say that. The law is that after INC has finished its work, INC will take its work to the national assembly and the lifespan of the existing assembly will come to an end before the work they have done will take effect. Now let us even go to the work they have done. It will surprise you to know that what the shakers are saying. They are not saying don't implement the Supreme Court judgment but they are saying follow the rule of law and procedure.

[00:09:33]I have with me here a document the the first the very the only the only report that Ink released in the course of all this >> you know this is [laughter] this is part of the thing that causes problem they say the security lawyers are always carrying documents all [laughter] about part of the problem >> the beauty of that the beauty of that is that civilized people always rely on documents >> time is going time is going now see If you see if you see this document >> you have not seen the document.

[00:10:07]>> This is the document.

[00:10:07]>> Oh that's the document.

[00:10:09]>> This document >> immediately I saw the report because it may interest you. I've been following this issue for 30 years. This problem started 30 years ago. I was in the university as an undergraduate of the AO university and I was going to court. If there's anybody I have done a book this is a book. This book is a complete compendium of the enter. If you want to know the story the fraud there has been fraud at each step at the step of instituting the case there was fraud at the step look when the Supreme Court judgment had come out when they wanted to >> let's talk about okay this this document >> this document that this document is an X-ray of the report they did >> we put some young men together led by one Mrs. Now they put each of the coordinates.

[00:11:01]The good thing is that we are in a scientific world. The report had coordinates of each of the units. They they put the coordinates in your phone.

[00:11:08]This is your Android phone. Google Earth. It took them to Uno state. It took them to Edo state.

[00:11:14]>> So you are disputing the report.

[00:11:16]>> Of course. And we have we have done the prop.

[00:11:18]>> All the groups come with evidence of coordinates and all the groups come with coordinates. Now now why we are here now you see my pain is that we don't have enough time to look at this we have demonstrated this this bundle of document here shows you the number of >> but but you know >> this document has not been peer reviewed because I remember the last time there was a person that a journalist that brought the same document was part of the committee >> but I think it was bright if my memory has something >> the argument is that has he been peer reviewed by an independent certified board he said no so that's a problem >> let me [laughter] explain let me answer that let me that now what we did we have two groups [clears throat] working on this.

[00:11:57]>> Yes.

[00:11:58]>> We has we have a surveyor that has already done his work completely. We have we have a ctographer a professor of ctography because this is about cgraphy.

[00:12:06]>> Yeah. But has it been has it been independently verified by a surveyor that said okay wait and everybody we all agree that this an independently verified work.

[00:12:17]That's why it has not it has not been put I agree with you. Let me quickly ask my question because of time.

[00:12:23]>> Yes.

[00:12:23]>> You said there are no kings in they don't have up to two kings in but me I know there's of au of I know there's um what's it called this king that used to be on the board of a radio station I worked in in the past JFM radio of he used to be on that he used to be on board of GFM radio you know when I work there and all of that.

[00:12:50]So the bone of contention was when I asked the guest >> Yeah.

[00:12:55]>> that came and I also said that as a guy why is there an olu of worry because he said worry is just a kingdom within you know that the olu of worry contentious something that because I asked him why is there an olu of worry and he dismissed he said is just a kingdom >> in worry.

[00:13:11]>> Yeah. Now now most of the kings you mentioned now they're not within worry kingdom.

[00:13:17]>> Okay. Now I said a thing at the initial stage of this program that that kingdom is over 500 years old.

[00:13:25]Google it. You have Don Domingos.

[00:13:26]>> Yeah. Don Domingos. That is some I think went to Coinbra in Portugal. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Now before you can see there's a competition with that history. You should be able to trace back a similar span of time because all this period the current of for is the 21st of what I'm saying is that no other so-called mushroom kingdom that has traced back to Guinea.

[00:13:50]>> Yes.

[00:13:51]So none none of the other tribes can tell you that they they have up to five kings in worry worry when I say five kings they have had just like we have 21st >> exactly back.

[00:14:04]>> You understand? So what that tells you is that this this current consciousness is a consciousness that just arose from them recently. I'll tell you something.

[00:14:16]I did a case in which the king of in southwest claimed to have part of worris south.

[00:14:25]They lost in the high court lost in the court of appeal and they have appealed to the supreme court.

[00:14:32]>> Now >> but because of time I will summary. Yes.

[00:14:35]>> The question Rafa asked the other time Chief was to ask him who owns worry >> and Shakiris I give you the impression that their customary tenants are trying to push them out of the three local governments that belong to them. So and the other people are saying we are not customary tenants belongs to all of us but I hope one day all of this will be resolved. I want I want to ask you if you know the story of the Bible where where a twin where where a a child >> okay >> was asked to determine to be determined the ownership of a child was asked to be determined the person who didn't own it said they should split the child but the person who owned it said no worry quickly the shakiris phone worried and that is why we have you know you said this dispute goes back you know we're going beyond history you know legally 2011 so unfortunately it's not something we'll be able to tackle fully in the in the short period of time we have here.

[00:15:34]But very insightful. I hope you do make those documents public to those interested.

[00:15:39][laughter]