Drama, power play trails INC elections as ex-MEND leaders-backed candidate wins

• Ijaw women’s group pleads for caution

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Drama and power play have trailed the elections into the National Executive Committee of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) following the election of an ex-militant leaders-backed candidate, Macdonald Igbadiwei.

This is even as the Ijaw Women’s Rights Group, headed by former Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr Timiebi Koripamo-Agary, is pleading with all parties to exercise caution and resolve all disputes.

Igbadiwei was declared President-Elect of INC after he polled 317 votes, defeating five other candidates.

The election of Igbadiwei defied the suspension of the polls by the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), headed by HRM King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, over several petitions which required resolution before the elections.

Three candidates, Timi Ogoriba, Nengi James, and Rear Admiral Geoffrey Yanga, had announced they were going to boycott the elections.

Investigations revealed that, based on CITRE advice, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police had deployed several armed policemen to Ijaw House, the venue of the election, to prevent any gathering for elections.

The police team was also complemented by a detachment of operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS), who were inside the premises.

Findings indicated that a top ex-commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), based on briefings from Igbadiwei, placed calls to top security officials in Abuja, and a counter-order for the election to proceed was given, forcing the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police to withdraw his men.

At the commencement of the election on Monday afternoon, two former MEND commanders in Bayelsa State, Paul Eris, aka Ogunboss, and Pastor Wilson Rueben, were at Ijaw House in solidarity with Igbadiwei.

Koripamo-Agary, in a statement, noted that recent happenings in the INC are a setback for the Ijaw nation, which calls for deep reflection.

According to her, aggrieved voices should not be dismissed because they represent the conscience of a people committed to justice, order, and collective dignity.

“The strength of the Ijaw nation has always rested on unity, respect for due process, and strict adherence to our constitutional and institutional frameworks.