In a blistering statement laced with frustration and fierce nationalism, the Isoko Political Youth Leaders of Thought (ISOPLOT) has issued a scathing rebuke of the Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), accusing the group of betraying the collective interests of the Isoko people in exchange for personal gains and external influence.
At the heart of the fiery communiqué, signed by Comrade Omoraro Daniel (Chairman) and Comrade Oviomaigho Henry (Secretary), is ISOPLOT’s rejection of the ongoing Ward delineation exercise in Warri metropolis, an exercise they say poses a grave threat to regional peace and a calculated attempt to alter the ethnic and political balance of power in Delta South Senatorial District.
“The delineation process must be suspended or outrightly cancelled,” the group declared, directly urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, and INEC to act before the region is plunged into avoidable unrest.
ISOPLOT didn’t mince words in denouncing INYA’s condemnation of their position, describing the youth group as “a decaying appendage of external funding and manipulation,” and accusing it of abandoning its mandate to defend the interests of Isoko youths.
The group cited what it called the embarrassing commissioning of the Isoko Youth House by a non-Isoko figure as further proof of INYA’s alleged complicity in diminishing the dignity and autonomy of Isoko Nation.
“INYA has outlived its usefulness. It no longer speaks for Isoko; it speaks for its paymasters,” ISOPLOT charged.
Beyond internal Isoko politics, ISOPLOT raised the alarm over what it described as “a grand ethnic manipulation” in Delta South, alleging that powerful actors are plotting to tilt political advantage permanently toward one ethnic nationality at the expense of the Isoko and Itsekiri people, with the 2031 governorship contest as the endgame.
“This is a dangerous permutation that seeks to politically conquer the Itsekiri first, only to turn against the Isoko next,” ISOPLOT warned, invoking the haunting words of German Pastor Martin Niemöller to emphasize the peril of silence and inaction.
The group also addressed the longstanding demand for a second constituency in Isoko North LGA, criticizing INYA for ignoring such crucial developmental issues until it suited them politically.
“INYA’s sudden interest in our stance reeks of opportunism. They’ve said nothing for years, and now they attempt to wear the garb of defenders? It is both laughable and insulting.”
On economic matters, ISOPLOT was clear: pipeline surveillance contracts are not gifts, and Isoko’s daily production of over 400,000 barrels of crude oil makes it a core stakeholder in Nigeria’s economic framework.
They warned those “posing as gods” by distributing “our common patrimony” to desist from acting with impunity.
In a final rallying cry, the group called on Isoko leaders, traditional rulers, and political actors to wake up and defend the future of their people, before the political terrain becomes too narrow for them to maneuver.
“Let us not be the generation that watched Isoko’s dignity fade. Let us think Isoko First, Always,” the statement concluded.
Editor’s Note:
The rising political tension surrounding the Warri delineation exercise is rapidly evolving into a regional standoff, with ethnic nationalities voicing deep fears of marginalization.
Analysts say federal authorities must tread carefully, as historical grievances in the Niger Delta have often escalated into long-term instability when ignored.
