Delta 2023: Ijaw leader escapes attack

The National Coordinator of Ijaw Mandate Group, under the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Hon. Dagidi Andaye, has alleged to have escaped assassination attempt by suspected gunmen at his residence in Iwhrekpokpor, Ughelli North local area of Delta state.

The assassination attempt came few days after the Ijaw group had endorsed Delta Central Senatorial District for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 governorship at Mosogar, Ethiope West local government area of the state.

While narrating the incident to newsmen, at his Ughelli residence, Andaye said at the early hours of last Wednesday, at about 3am in the morning, he heard noises outside his compound, and when he peeped through the window, he saw some suspected gunmen about seven, trying to force their way into his house through the gate.

Andaye said when all attempts to have access to the house failed, that they started shooting sporadically at the gate, but were lucky over the intervention of the Ughelli Area Commander and other security agents who quickly responded to their calls and scared them away.

The group leader opined that he was suspicious that the failed attack could be connected to their previous supports and endorsement for the Urhobo 2023 governorship lobby group, DC-23 under the leadership of Chief Ighoyota Amori, adding that the whole drama came up when he started receiving threat calls, and friends advising him not to sleep in his home with his family.

Speaking further, Andaye said, “I believe strongly that the assassins were sympathisers of Ijaw nation for 2023 governorship, but they have failed. I want to tell the whole world that we are not scared of what has happened but it has rather emboldened me and my members of the group.

“The police is already on top of the issues and l know that the suspects will soon be arrested and their sponsors would be uncovered. We the members of the IMG are more of Ijaws than those sympathisers of Ijaw governorship ambition. The situation where if it is not you, it should not be any other person should be discouraged.

“The ljaw group under my leadership can no longer be deceived. We have long been deceived by people who claim to be contesting thereafter you see them doing something else, if not why didn’t these people support bonafide sons of Ijaw that contested in 2014.

“The same persons that told them then that Delta State is being governed on basis of senatorial district are the ones trying to disrupt the peaceful process. What has happened to that process that they are saying it is the turn of Ijaw Nation.

“Their ambition is a ploy to truncate the turn of Ijaw come 2031 Urhobo of Delta Central, 2023, which we all know at that time the younger generation would have grown to contest for in Delta South Senatorial district covering three major tribes of Itsekiri, Isoko and Ijaw, but since Itsekiri has had its first which produces Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, l think it will be turn of Ijaw and Isoko nations come 2031.”