Several monarchs and prominent Delta Ijaw leaders, including the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, on Wednesday led thousands of Ijaw people to endorse Bola Tinubu and Sheriff Oborevwori as their preferred candidates for President and Governor in the 2027 general elections.
The resounding endorsement took place at a grand reception organised in honour of the Delta State governor by Delta Ijaw political leaders in Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area.
The motion for the endorsement was moved by the member representing Burutu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Julius Pondi, and seconded by a member of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Kenneth Oboro. The motion was thereafter subjected to a voice vote presided over by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, amid loud ovation from the crowd.
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, commended his Delta counterpart for what he described as deliberate efforts toward the development of Ijaw communities.
Also lending their voices were notable leaders, including the President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, and Otuaro, who praised Oborevwori’s infrastructural strides across riverine Ijaw areas.
In appreciation of the governor’s developmental efforts, traditional rulers under the aegis of the Delta Ijaw Traditional Rulers Forum conferred on Oborevwori the title “Izonebimiewei” meaning “the man that does good for the Ijaw people.”
Among the monarchs present were the Chairman of the Delta Ijaw Traditional Rulers Council and Ebenana-owei of Ogulagha Kingdom, HRM Joseph Timiyan; Pere of Akugbene-Mein Kingdom, HRM Pere Kalanama VIII; Ebenana-owei of Tarakiri Kingdom, HRM Danladi Foubiri Owoupele, Angolo I; Ebenana-owei of Operemor Kingdom, HRM Ekio-emi John Owei-agbe; Pere of Kabowei Kingdom, HRM (Barr.) Peremobowei Shedrach Erebulu, Aduo III; and the Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, HRM King Couple Oromoni, Morbene III, among others.
An elated Oborevwori, while responding, thanked the Ijaw people for the honour, saying the overwhelming support made him feel at home.
“I feel highly honoured to be here among the Ijaw nation. This reception feels like a homecoming. Today, I feel like an Ijaw man,” he said.
The governor disclosed that his administration had committed over N400 billion to the development of Ijaw communities and pledged to reciprocate the support through more projects and political appointments.
He added that the Ijaw people and other ethnic nationalities played significant roles in his emergence as governor and assured that their loyalty would not be taken for granted.
The event also witnessed the presence of thousands of members of the PBAT Door-2-Door Movement 2027, led by Otuaro, who urged the people to reward what he described as purposeful leadership that had translated into tangible development across the Niger Delta.
Otuaro cited ongoing federal interventions such as the coastal road project, support to the Niger Delta Development Commission and sustained backing for the Amnesty Programme as evidence of the President’s commitment to the region.
In a statement by his media aide, Igoniko Oduma, Otuaro urged Ijaw people to reciprocate the President’s goodwill with support in 2027.
He also aligned with calls by Ijaw leaders for Oborevwori’s re-election, noting that the governor’s investment in infrastructure across Ijaw communities justified the endorsement.
Earlier, Chairman of the Central Organising Committee of the reception, Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, said the event was convened as a mark of gratitude to the governor for his developmental strides in Ijaw areas of the state.
