₦airaland Forum

fratermathy:
Okpes themselves decided to be Urhobos, hence the statement that Urhobo is a nation, not an ethnicity. We all know that Okpes do not traditionally speak Urhobo and Urhobos do not understand Okpe. When Urhobo Progress Union was formed, Okpe, Uvwie and Isoko leaders were invited to join the group. Okpe and Uvwie joined in, Isoko did not buy it.

If our definition of ethnicity goes beyond language and includes other criteria such as religion, culture, ontology, etc, then Urhobo, Isoko, Okpe, Erhowa and Uvwie are of the same ethnicity, regardless of whatever names we go by. However, we live in a society -as my initial statement indicated- where we are polarised by language and politics and as such, Isoko and Erhowa align themselves as one ethnic nation, whereas Okpe, Urhobo and Uvwie align as one. The Urhobo Council of Traditional Rulers have Okpe and Uvwie monarchs. UPU is well peopled by Okpe and Uvwie representatives, even as far as the Presidency in times past.

Regardless of the above, there are elements within Okpe who do not fancy the Okpe-Urhobo-Uvwie grouping and they are free to. Not all Igbo or Yoruba cultural units/groups want to be under the general tag too.

The above scenario is in no way similar to the Ikwerre-Igbo debacle. Ikwerres have never associated with Igbos, even for expediency. They don't speak Igbo and they don't share common ontology and mythology.


So, I repeat myself again, ethnicity is a complex of language, politics, culture, religion, onomastics, mythology, etc etc. But until someone or a group categorically states who they are, it is better not to assume regardless of what they appear to be.

The Isokos were not referred to as Sobo in d past but Eggaboh. Til this day, my Aboh brethren call them Eggaboh and Urhobos they call Sobos. I have hardly ever heard my mum and her people call themselves Urhobo, but Uvwie and their greetimg is same as the Okpes i.e 'degwo'as opposed to 'migwo'. And another fact is that the Uvwies seem to bear a lot of Itsekiri names like Majemite, Tsekiri, Emeye e.t.c.

fratermathy:
Okpes themselves decided to be Urhobos, hence the statement that Urhobo is a nation, not an ethnicity. We all know that Okpes do not speak Urhobo and Urhobos do not understand Okpe. When Urhobo Progress Union was formed, Okpe, Uvwie and Isoko leaders were invited to join the group. Okpe and Uvwie joined in, Isoko did not buy it.

If our definition of ethnicity goes beyond language and includes other criteria such as religion, culture, ontology, etc, then Urhobo, Isoko, Okpe, Erhowa and Uvwie are of the same ethnicity, regardless of whatever names we go by. However, we live in a society -as my initial statement indicated- where we are polarised by language and politics and as such, Isoko and Erhowa align themselves as one ethnic nation, whereas Okpe, Urhobo and Uvwie align as one. The Urhobo Council of Traditional Rulers have Okpe and Uvwie monarchs. UPU is well peopled by Okpe and Uvwie representatives, even as far as the Presidency in times past.

Regardless of the above, there are elements within Okpe who do not fancy the Okpe-Urhobo-Uvwie grouping and they are free to. Not all Igbo or Yoruba cultural units/groups want to be under the general tag too.

The above scenario is in no way similar to the Ikwerre-Igbo debacle. Ikwerres have never associated with Igbos, even for expediency. They don't speak Igbo and they don't share common ontology and mythology.


So, I repeat myself again, ethnicity is a complex of language, politics, culture, religion, onomastics, mythology, etc etc. But until someone or a group categorically states who they are, it is better not to assume regardless of what they appear to be.

an Okpe man will never introduce himself as Urhobo, even d Uvwies to an extent(my mum is Uvwie btw)

fratermathy:
Wike is not Igbo. I do hope you know that? He has never claimed to be so, he has never identified as such, and above all, he doesn't speak Igbo. He is Ikwerre and yes, Ikwerre is an Igboid language according to linguists. The Ikwerres have always maintained their distinct identity and culture. This is akin to Itsekiri, which is a Yoruboid language but maintain a separate cultural identity or like Urhobo, which is an Edoid language but have never identified as anything but Urhobo. To be clear, that a language is described as Igboid, Yoruboid, Edoid, Nupoid, Hausoid, etc, doesn't mean that the so-described language is mutually intelligible with the languages they use in describing them. Most likely, the languages within the descriptive cluster all share the same ancestry, grammar, vocabulary, or other linguistic features. They only use the biggest variant of the language group to describe all of them for ease of description. This, in no way, implies that those who speak Igboid, Nupoid, Hausoid, Yoruboid, etc, languages are members of the ethnic group which has been used to describe their language.

In fact, there are cases where people from different ethnic groups speak the same language. We know of Welsh and Irish people who speak English but do not identify as English people. In Nigeria, we have cases of minorities in the North who speak Hausa but never identify as Hausa people. Even individually, we have persons born into particular groups but who choose to identify with another group. Chief Okotie-Eboh was born an Urhobo but identified as Itsekiri (an adopted identity) all his life.

Ethnicity goes beyond language. Its a complex of identity, consciousness, culture, politics, religion, kinship, and many other things. Unless someone identifies as belonging to a group, its better not to make assumptions, even if the person speaks like or appears to be from an obvious group. This is especially true in the case of the so-called "minority" groups.

I want to use your quote against you. Based on what you have said, as an Urhobo man would you say the Okpes and Urhobos are of different ethnic group?

Spiritualism:
Oshiomhole behind my disqualification, out to kill APC — Al-Hassan
Published

October 7, 2018

Former Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Al-Hassan, tells JUSTIN TYOPUUSU that she resigned from the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari because she was unfairly treated by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole

You took the nation by surprise when you resigned as a minister and also dumped the All Progressives Congress almost simultaneously. What actually happened?

I resigned my appointment and I have picked nomination form of the United Democratic Party to contest the governorship seat in Taraba State. It may interest you to know that I had earlier bought the APC form to contest the same seat during the party’s primaries. I attended the screening and the committee only asked me of my party member card and the permanent voters’ card which I showed them. The committee then cleared me.

What then led to your disqualification?

The National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, in his own wisdom, said I was not qualified and therefore, I should not be cleared to contest the election. So, that is what informed my decision to withdraw my membership of the APC. I believe that I was unfairly treated. I feel that a great injustice was done to me by that action. I was a pioneer member of the APC. I was part of the registration of the APC because I was a member of the then new PDP when the merger was done. My new PDP then had a discussion with the APC, which eventually led to collaboration and we went through the whole process of registration. Congresses were conducted and the APC formally gave me the green light to contest the governorship election in 2015. I contested the senatorial seat in 2011 on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party and I became a Senator of the federal Republic of Nigeria. My profile went up because I was further screened to be a minister; I passed all the stages of the screening.


Did you ever think that you could be disqualified?

I did not entertain any fear that I was not going to be cleared. Immediately I finished the screening, I came to Jalingo (Taraba State capital) on Sunday, 23rd September to prepare for the Presidential primary which was earlier scheduled for September 25. The governorship primary was slated for September 29. To my greatest shock, somebody just called me to find out if I was not aware of the information that was trending on the social media and I told the person that I was not aware since I am not on social media. When the caller did not tell me what really happened, I then asked one of my assistants to check any breaking news involving me. My aide checked the internet and reported that the result of the screening was out but I was not bothered about what was so special about the screening results because I was confident I was going to be cleared. I was confident because when I went for the screening, I was only asked for my original APC membership card and my permanent voter card which I presented and I was duly cleared. This is contained in the report that was submitted to the National Working Committee. I was cleared along with my 10 brothers who are still contesting in the APC but Oshiomhole, on his own, not the APC, said I should not be allowed to contest. I was made to understand through the people around him that it was not right to swear in another party chairman in Taraba State when we already have a chairman in place, who won an election and had been sworn-in. The same person had been performing the role of the state chairman of the party in the last four months. Oshihomhole just came out of nowhere and swore-in another chairman for Taraba State. As it is right now, there are two APC chairmen in Taraba State. One was installed by Oshiomhole while the other was installed by the former national chairman, (Chief John Odigie-Oyegun). That is the confusion that Oshiomhole had created in Taraba State. Right now, the secretariat of the APC in Taraba State is under the direct care of the police; it has been under lock and key since crisis broke out between the Odigie-Oyegun group and the Oshiomhole group. The police had to step in because they have the responsibility to keep peace among the people of Taraba State. I didn’t know my own was coming; he didn’t give any reason for screening me out. So, I said if I’m not good in 2019, having contested in 2015 for the same position, in the same party (the APC), it then meant that I am not good enough to remain in the cabinet; hence I tendered my resignation letter because I was serving under an APC government. The first thing I did was to resign from the cabinet and almost simultaneously, I withdrew my membership of the APC.

Why did you join the United Democratic Party?

I joined the United Democratic Party and immediately obtained its form to contest the governorship. The only thing is that Oshiomhole can only disqualify me from the APC; it is God that can give me power regardless of what party I belong to. Even if no party offers me the platform, God can still give me power. I’m not bothered about my disqualification because Oshiomhole is not God. He does not give power. The problem is if he was thinking of pushing me out to make a way for another person, it would end up a big miscalculation and a big plus for me. It means that I am unbeatable and the only thing he had to do, which was within his power, was to set me aside and say I can’t contest without giving any reason but he can only wield that power in the APC.

Do you have any personal grudge against Oshiomhole?

There is no misunderstanding between Oshiomhole and me. In fact, he gave me money in 2015 when I was contesting the governorship election and I am still very grateful to him despite what he is doing to me now. To the best of my knowledge, I don’t know of any problem between us. He is the national chairman, and I respect him. Why should I have a problem with him? I have not seen him since 2015; not until recently when he came out to contest at the national convention of the APC this year. I told him then that my support for him was 100 per cent


Your godfather, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is in the PDP. Why did you decide to join another party?

I left the PDP before the formation of the APC. I was searching for where to go before the legacy party, the mega party and the APC decided to merge along with the Congress for Progressives Change and the All Nigerian Peoples Party. My people and I looked around and decided to join the then new PDP. It was when we merged that we now brought APC to Taraba State in 2014. It was practically impossible to get people over to our side since we were new and they didn’t believe that we had anything to offer. We had to embark on a door-to-door campaign to convince the people to come and take up executive party positions free of charge. In the process, despite how difficult it was for us, we won a senatorial seat. Having worked tirelessly to make the party what it is today with the support of my people, but as of yesterday (Tuesday), the APC is the weakest party in Taraba. Of all the previous opposition parties in Taraba State, all of them had governorship candidates but none could do what we were able to do with the APC. Now, after all my efforts, they feel they will push me aside. It’s alright! God is always in control.


Did your people agree to move with you to your new party.

All the executives of the APC, from the ward to the state level, moved and our supporters, countless of them. Even some PDP members who felt I was wrongly treated, decided to move with me to wherever I move to.

Do you think Mr President is aware of this?


Oshiomhole is out to kill the APC. I think Mr. President needs to caution him. We nurtured this party. I worked with Mr. President as a father and as a boss. People are suspecting the President but he has no hand in all of these. The President that I know will never tell anybody to do any act that is unjust or unfair. The President has nothing to do with all of this; it is just Oshiomhole that is doing all these.


You complained recently that women were not being treated fairly by the APC. Do you think that was also a factor in your disqualification?

Nobody knows why Oshiomhole is doing all these. I repeat nobody knows why. It is not only in my state. He is not doing this to me alone; he is also doing the same thing to every state and that is why we have so many court cases against the APC in many states now. This man, if he is not cautioned, he will kill APC for them. We have moved on. Life must continue. I didn’t join politics because of one political party. After all, I started in the PDP. When I saw that they were not conducting themselves the way I felt, I moved to the APC. What is happening in the APC now is worse than what happened in the PDP. It is worse. Ask anybody and they will tell you Oshiomhole is behind all of these.


Will you support former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who is your political godfather in the forthcoming presidential election if he wins the PDP primary?

I will declare my support openly for my preferred candidate after the primaries have been concluded and the parties have presented their candidates

Oshiomhole is getting serious backing from Tinubu and is doing the later's bidding. Babajide Kolade Otitoju, Tinubu's mouthpiece on TVC's political analysis seem to be followed verbatim by Oshiomhole. Watch TVC journalists hangout and u can predict Oshiomhole's action as easily as a psychic

Shehu Sani is finished politically. The part of the country where he is from is hypnotized by the Buhari false narrative. He should have decamped and maintained his stand on truth but the lure of the red chamber made him turn back like lot's wife now he is salt

looks cadaveric

mumu Elikem go marry old opio because of her tooch accent for BBA. Now grandma doesn't want to let go

Nwaforj44:
Ovie Omo-Agege, the senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, allegedly engaged in a physical brawl with another aspirant, Julius Akpovoka.

Akelicious gathered that the physical combat occurred during the APC Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal constituency primary election on Thursday when Akpovoka, openly disagreed with Omo-Agege, and accused him of extortion.

An eyewitness told Akelicious that “when the APC aspirant for the Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal constituency, Julius Akpovoka, saw that the primary election was already being manipulated by Omo-Agege in favour of his preferred candidate who is a pastor, Julius went straight to confront Omo-Agege, and in the process, Julius slapped Omo-Agege and problem started".

According to the eyewitness, guns were freely used during the fracas by armed thugs loyal to Akpovoka, as they shot sporadically to scare people away. The situation was, however, brought under control by the Police, who were deployed to the venue to restore order.

Akelicious gathered that Omo-Agege had promised to secure the House of Representatives ticket for Akpovoka, but asked him to falsify his local government of origin from Ughelli North to Ughelli South. The reason given for this was that since Ughelli North had produced the senator, it would be unfair for the same local government council to produce a House of Representatives member.

A close political associate to both Omo-Agege and Akpovoka confided in our correspondent that so much money exchanged hands after Akpovoka was assured of the APC ticket in the Federal constituency.

Condemning the incident, a staunch member of the APC from Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal constituency, expressed dissatisfaction over the manner Senator Omo-Agege and Great Ogboru were piloting the activities of the party in Delta Central Senatorial District and the state, in general.

"Clearly, the APC Delta State chapter is like a house that is divided against itself which cannot stand. More things have started falling apart and surely, the centre cannot hold. All these spell doom for the party, if nothing drastic is done to arrest the ugly situation that has bedevilled the APC in Delta State since the duo of Senator Omo-Agege and Chief Great Ogboru joined the party. We are just watching," the member said.

All efforts to reach Omo-Agege for reactions were not successful as calls put to him were not answered. However, an aide who preferred not to named, affirmed that there was indeed a fracas at the primary election venue, but denied the allegation of extortion against his boss. He also stressed that there was nothing like a physical brawl between his boss and Akpovoka.

https://www.akelicious.net/2018/10/omo-agege-gets-physical-with-aspirant.html

Urhobo people r too violent. Imagine the son of a former Chief Judge of Delta state and a Senator behaving like a road side tout

My God, I will have to act 440 movies(50k per movie) to raise 22million to buy nomination form. Which kind life be this sef

Tinubu is the man behind Oshiomhole and once the northern presidency fully realizes this, the final implosion of APC will occur

Breaking News

meanwhile

id911:
For the first time I totally agree with you sarrki, Nigeria needs to cleanse people like you and your likes for us to move forward

epic

see nose

This is why when young women dance as if they have won a jackpot on their wedding day i just SMH. Marriage these days is a gamble and you really can't predict what you r goin into

The same Kayode Ogundamisi that supported the emergence of the present administration that has become the worst in Nigeria's history. The opinion of people as these do not effing count

I beg you on my patella in incredulous terms and gangantaun humilty under no calamitous duress to consider my ordinate and crata crutum ambition.

-Obahiagbon


Abeg talk simple English and stand up fast, sleep dey catch me

-Obaseki

this local igbotic guy

this wan na lesbian

Hector09:
Whats breaking abt it, bunch of criminals

In a free a fair contest Ihedioha will floor whoever APC brings on

Tinubu is very scared of Buhari and the power Buhari has was in part given to him by Buhari. What an irony

saraki pullin strings

it was the practice for this exercise that killed an airforce pilot last week. I trust naija, there will be nothing done to honour is memory during today's exercise

it was the practice for this exercise that killed an airforce pilot last week. I trust naija, there will be nothing done to honour is memory during today's exercise

with all the trade surplus, monies recovered from looters, custom generating record income, there is suffering in the land as never before seen in decades. Govt of lies indeed

jerseyboy:
Macron wey marry him Mama don craze tay tay.

no other comment needed on this thread. This guy killed it

Plateau must elect a governor that can protect the lives of her citizens against attacks from predators. If Jerry oldman can do it, so be it

Amaechi must be disgraced. Senseless rebel is what he is

APC is a fraudulent, diabolical and wicked political party