The Separation of Isoko from other Urhobo Tribes is due to Politics and not nature:

LET US GO BACK TO THE U.P.U PUBLICLY ENDORSEMENT OF AN URHOBO CANDIDATE IN 1963 AND THE CONSEQUENCES ON THE URHOBO NATION..

The first time the U.P.U would PUBLICLY endorsed a consensus candidate for an election was the Midwest Parliamentary Elections of 1963. And the results had a distrastrous effects on the Urhobo Nation that till today we have not been able to recover from it.

In 1963, the Urhobo Nation mobilized massively for the creation of Midwest region from the old Western region. Now because of their huge Population, it was tipped that an Urhobo will be the PREMIER of that region. At time the Present day Isoko people were part of the Urhobo Nation, this was what made the Urhobos to be the 5th largest Ethnic Nation in Nigeria. But that huge Population, the source of their strength was also their weakness.

During the creation of Midwest region, the deal was that the Binis will have the Capital and their Oba will be the Permanent chairman of the Midwest Traditional Rulers Council. The Urhobos will be the PREMIER while the Anioma people will have the Governor. But by 1963, many Isoko activists were already championing a separation from the Urhobos Nation as they felt that they were being marginalized in the Urhobo Nation. However their Political leader Chief James Epre Otobo, was of a different opinion, being a staunch member of the U.P.U. And to reward and to Pacify them the U.P.U publicly endorsed Chief James Epre Otobo as the Candidate for the Premier of the Midwest region.

But U.P.U was and is not a Political Party. They took that decision without due consultations with the National leaders of the N.C.N.C , Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe and himself the President of Nigeria. The U.P.U felt that with their Population alone, they have what it takes to be the PREMIER. But Zik the National leader of the Party and Chief Festus Okotie Eboh, had chosen another Candidate to be the PREMIER. He was Chief Dennis Osadebey. Then Chief Dennis Osadebey in 1960 was already the Senate President.

Zik asked him to resign from being the Senate President to be the PREMIER of the newly created MidWestern region. He resigned and Nwafo Orizu was asked to replace him. So the U.P.U did not bother to consult with the leadership of the Party before going on to Publicly adopt Otobo. So when they went for the delegates Election the U.P.U submitted the name of Chief James Epre Otobo as the Candidate. Zik and Okotie Eboh stood against that decision . Zik announced Osadebey.

U.P.U was humiliated….And in anger, Chief T.E.A Salubi and the U.P.U delegates walked out on Zik and the Convention. But Sir Jereton Marierie, a Patron of the U.P.U stayed behind. He was watching everyone. Later in the day, Chief Salubi went to meet Sir Jereton Marierie, why he refused to join the rebellion against Zik. Marierie told him,….”If I had joined you to walk out on Zik, Urhobo would have lost everything”

Salubi I am a founding member of the U.P.U., her first ever secretary General. You cannot publicly endorse a Candidate for a Political Party, they have their own Candidate. You consult widely, if you have consulted with them, and they said have agreed with you that Otobo was also their Choice, then let them do that Publicly not you” And next Time whether you are angry or not, don’t ever walk out on the President of the Federal republic of Nigeria, because he is a very Powerful man.
I have apologized to him on behalf of the Urhobo Nation, but of course there will be Consequences.

3 days later it was Publicly announced that Osadebey was the Premier and that Marierie was the Governor.Otobo saw that as a betrayal. The meaning he read was that Marierie stayed back to negotiate the Governorship Position for himself. The next Position was that of the Deputy Premier. Otobo was now submitted to be the Deputy Premier. But Zik refused, that the Urhobos cannot have the Governor and the deputy Premier. It was against the decision of the Party. Let the Ishans have it,.Otobo replied but “we the Isokos have never really regarded ourselves as Urhobos, we were only placed in the Urhobo Division POLITICALLY” That was the Opportunity Zik was waiting for. If that big tribe is allowed to be one people, they will be difficult to control.

The Isokos were thus asked to go for a referendum. And the results came out….”We are not Urhobos”. We are a distinct tribe of our own. And so the Great Nation of Urhobo was torn Asunder, so that Otobo could also become the Deputy Prime Minister. Meanwhile Marierie although from Evwreni which is actually an Isoko speaking dialect of the Urhobo Language, could not join the Isoko Division. Because Marierie was GOVERNOR Because he claimed Evwreni was Urhobo not Isoko and the Greatest of Urhobo hero ever Mukoro Mowoe was also an Evwreni man. Thus the Evwreni Urhobo people are Urhobos speaking the Isoko dialect of Urhobo Language.

There are different lessons to be learnt from this history to enable us move forward as a people. Firstly, unity is not for the weak. It takes strength to maintain unity. Politics is temporary and not what defines the tribes that make up an ethnic Nation but nature itself. Urhobo is not a tribe but a Nation of tribes that includes Isoko, Okpe, Uvwie, Ughiewien, Udu, Agbon, Agbarha and others who speak different dialects of Urhobo Language. You cannot tell any sensible person that due to Politics, Jarikre from Isoko is not brother to Jarikre from Okpe or Eseoghemaro from Isoko is not related to Eseoghemaro from Udu of Ughiewien or Agbarha. The advantage of staying united as one people of Urhobo Nation come rain, come sun out weight the disadvantages. Those who stick to and continue to brew divisions among the tribes of Urhobo Nation should learn from history and start retracing their steps to work for the Unity of Urhobo Nation where all the tribes are equal.