DEMEBIDE PELE’S FAILED ATTEMPT TO BLACKMAIL THE GBARAMATU PEOPLE AND WHY HON. DENNIS EMOMOTIMI GUWOR IS EMINENTLY QUALIFIED TO BE SPEAKER OF THE DELTA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
On the 5th day of June, 2023, Mr. Demebide Pele made a Facebook post, which he tagged, “My Position on the Speakership of Delta State House of Assembly.” Whilst the post obviously an infamous attempt to campaign for his preferred candidate in the race for the seat of the next Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, the Facebook post was unfortunately built on contortions, concoctions and half-truths.
“…the Ijaws of Delta State are being oppressed by the Gbaramatu people and that is why the only few Ijaws that get appointment from the state government must go and bow down to the Gbaramatu people in the creeks; all developments in Warri South West goes to Gbaramatu Kingdom; the Gbaramatu people have guns and billions and that they will impeach the Governor whenever he travels out of the country; that for the state to be protected Bomadi must be given the speakership position.” This is an extract of the libelous and vile publication published by Mr. Pele against the peaceful and peace-loving Gbaramatu people.
Ordinarily, this inflammatory publication from a familiar quarter does not deserve any response whatsoever but it is imperative to set the records straight and expose the mischiefs buried in the aforementioned Facebook publication. This response is necessary to notify naysayers and traducers that present move of Mr. Pele is an attempt to reduce the people Gbaramatu in the estimation of His Excellency Chief (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori, the Executive Governor of Delta State.
Is it not strange that a supposed minister in the temple of justice and an Ijaw man of the status of Mr. Pele would throw caution to the wind and make such spurious and inflammatory publication to the public? Is it the case that Mr. Pele did not know that his vile public is capable of causing grave communal clashes and serious threat to the peaceful coexistence of our people? The only rationale answer to these posers would be that Mr. Pele has enough training and experience to know the probable outcome of his inflammatory publication but he deliberately made the publication owing to his sinister and wicked attempt to paint the people of Gbaramatu in a bad light in the heart of His Excellency Chief (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori, the Executive Governor of Delta State.
It is therefore apt to disabuse the minds of the public from the allegations of Mr. Pele and categorically reiterate the fact that Gbaramatu people are a peace loving people, who have coexisted in peace with other Ijaw people and even people of other tribes. As far as I know, never has there been a more malicious accusation levied against the Gbaramatu people. To whom it may concern:
i. even though there is absolutely nothing wrong for other Ijaws to visit Gbaramatu Kingdom for political, religious, economic or other reasons, there has never been a time when Gbaramatu claimed to be the headquarters of the Ijaw nation as erroneously claimed by Mr. Pele. The Gbaramatu people would not reject visitors because people like Mr. Pele disdain us, neither would we stop being accommodating and receptive because of the likes of Mr. Pele!
ii. Mr. Pele’s allegation that the Gbaramatu people possess guns, with a nocturnal plan of unseating the governor is a serious criminal allegation and I will not dwell on this, only because of my regard for him as a lawyer. I only hope he does the appropriate thing by immediately retracting this vexatious statement.
iii. Even though Mr. Pele’s spurious claim that that all appointments assigned to the Ijaw nation are given to the Gbaramatu people is unfounded and a mere cheap blackmail, it is important to set the records straight on this bit and expose his evil mischief. Unless Mr. Pele lacks a comprehensive lesson on the spatial presence of the Ijaw nation or except he is ignorant of the fact that the Ijaw people are not limited to the geography of Delta State but spread across Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Bayelsa as well as other States, otherwise Mr. Pele’s deliberate use of the term ‘Ijaw nation’ can be regarded as a clear attempt to incite other Ijaw Kingdoms against the Gbaramatu people.
My questions are, why is Mr. Pele so bitter against the Gbaramatu people? Pele, who offended you? Is Gbaramatu made up of only politicians? Is he aware that beyond politicians and politics, Gbaramatu Kingdom has seasoned professionals, academicians, business moguls and captains of industries scattered across the globe many of whom care less about what is going on in Nigerian politics? Why is Mr. Pele in a hurry to drag the entire Gbaramatu people into the muddy waters of hateful politics? Is this a wicked attempt by Mr. Pele to garner quick albeit cheap social media popularity or validation?
I hereby challenge Mr. Pele to outline all appointments that have come to Warri South West since 1999 with proof that all of such appointments went to the Gbaramatu people. Also, since Mr. Pele is now an expert in social media and the theatrics of the new media, he may wish to respond to this challenge on Facebook or even use it as a Tiktok challenge.
In the end, it is a known fact that political appointments are not gotten on a bed of roses. Thus, interested parties must make conscious efforts through lobbying, hard sacrifices and strategic commitments and alliances to gain such. I dare say that Hon. Dennis Emomotimi Guwor having won his elections, is eminently qualified just like other members of the House of Assembly to be the Speaker of the House (regardless of his community or Kingdom) and may so emerge God willing. I do not believe that any amount of wicked fabrication and lies against Hon. Dennis Emomotimi Guwor for the sole fact that he is from Gbaramatu is enough to disqualify him from any position he and other sons and daughters of Gbaramatu aspire to attain as we are not second class citizens in Delta State or Nigeria. I advise Mr. Pele to desist from his politics of hatred and his attempt to cause disunity amongst the good people of Delta State.
May I also offer a free advise to Mr. Pele that unless he takes steps to immediately retract his defamatory statement against the Gbaramatu people, he may be liable to a claim on the tort of defamation, where a suit is instituted against him in a competent court.
Signed:
Larry C. Malemi
Founder “Egbonism” and proudly from Gbaramatu Kingdom.¹
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