News Editor
By our Correspondent
The Supreme Council of Ikwerre Government-Recognized Traditional Rulers in Rivers State has distanced itself from the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, reaffirming the Ikwerre people’s distinct ethnic identity.
In a strongly worded statement released to Journalists, the council emphasized its unique heritage and warned against perceived efforts to subsume the Ikwerre under Igbo influence.
According to the statement, signed by the council’s chairman, His Majesty King Leslie Eke, Eze Oha Evo III of Evo Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, and the secretary, Nye-Weala Omerelu of Ikwerre Local Government Area, His Royal Highness Ben Ugo, expressed concerns over what it described as “tricks and pranks of Igbo expansionists.”
The government recognized monarchs called on the Rivers State Government and the public to be vigilant in safeguarding the cultural and ethnic integrity of the Ikwerre people.
Central to their declaration was the council’s reaffirmation of the Ikwerre’s ancestral ties to the ancient Benin Kingdom.
The leaders paid homage to Akalaka, regarded as the forebear of the Iwhuruohna people, and underscored their shared ancestry with the Ekpeye and Ogba ethnic groups of Rivers State.
“We, the Ikwerre, are deeply rooted in Rivers State and the broader Niger Delta region,” the statement read. “Our heritage and identity cannot be conflated with the Igbo, despite geographical and linguistic proximities.”
The council’s pronouncement came amidst longstanding debates over the ethnic and cultural affiliations of the Ikwerre people. While some historians and cultural commentators have suggested ties between the Ikwerre and Igbo ethnic groups, traditional leaders and many within the Ikwerre community have consistently maintained their distinct identity.
” As the debate continues, the Supreme Council of Ikwerre Traditional Rulers remains resolute in affirming their autonomy and rejecting any attempts to align their identity with that of neighboring groups”, the statement declared.
