……Accuse Delta Deputy Governor, Others For Crisis Sponsorship
Abloody crisis is said to be currently looming following the inauguration of a parallel leadership of Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC) at the Abuja residence of former federal commissioner for information and Ijaw foremost national leader, Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.
The development, which has created crisis in the Ijaw Youth Council, (IYC), HardReporters gathered has threw up severe fight among elders of Ijaw nation thereby dividing the elders into two factions.
It was learnt that following the report of a committee set up to resolve the crisis in IYC by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Mr. Pereotubo Oweilaemi-led faction was inaugurated at the Abuja residence of E.K Clark in a well attended ceremony by governor Dickson, Justice Francis Tabai, Mr. Godknows Igali, Mr. Bodrick Bozimo, Mr. Francis Doupkola, Mr. T.K Okorotie and Mr. Felix Tuodolo among others.
Irked by the inauguration of Mr. Pereotubo Oweilaemi parallel leadership of IYC, a faction of prominent Ijaw elders met in Warri, Delta State with a resolution distancing themselves from the parallel IYC inauguration done by Clark, Dickson and others.
The Warri meeting which was said to have been attended by a faction of Ijaw elders including, Mr. Hendrick Opukeme, Mr. Ken Orubebe, Mr. Bright Abilo, Mr. Dibi Yinkore, Mr. Goddey Smith, aka King of the Forest; Mr. Friday Egbegbe, Mr. Don Ben, Mr. Ferdinand Oshonwoh and Mr. Ari S. Ari, condemned in strong terms the parallel inauguration saying they stand on the Burutu IYC convention that produced, Mr. Eric Omare led faction having been conducted by the past IYC leadership in accord with the IYC constitution.
In a statement signed by Mr. Hendrick Opukeme and others, obtained by HardReporters, noted that the elders in the western zone comprising of Delta, Edo and Ondo states have rejected the report of the Joshua Fumudoh led IYC peace and reconciliation committee set up by the Bayelsa State governor.
While accusing the Delta state deputy governor, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, Mr. Joshua Fumudoh and Mr. Godknows Igali of hijacking the peace committee for personal and selfish reasons in imposing a factional and unpopular leadership on the Ijaw nation, the statement noted that the Fumudoh Peace and Reconciliation Peace Committee report was biased and premeditated.
“The committee did a poor job in recognizing a faction of the IYC under flimsy constitutional grounds when in actual fact the faction recognized by Fumudoh committee emerged through an illegal election conducted by past leaders who had no constitutional power to do so as against the constitutional election conducted by the then President, Udengs Eradiri.
“The Ijaw youth elders insisted that the legally recognized and generally acceptable President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide is Eric Omare. The Presidency of the IYC is zoned to the western zone and the zone had even before the Burutu election endorsed Eric Omare as the consensus candidate of the zone. The Okrika convention which was done outside the tenure of the Udengs Eradiri exco was a rebellion of the old order against the new breed.
“Former IYC leaders took it upon themselves, who notably were at loggerhead with Udengs Eradiri due to failed business transactions to stage their convention without adequate consultation with the Western Zone leadership. Thus, the Okrika Convention was purely the creation of East and Central element of Ijaw Youth Elders who acted for themselves and their Zones”, the group insisted.
According to the elders, Governor Dickson, had good intentions in setting up the committee to resolve the IYC dispute and deserved commendation.
“However, the Governor’s noble intentions were hijacked through a conspiracy between Chief Fumudoh, Amb. Igali and Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro for their personal and selfish reasons in imposing a factional and unpopular leadership on the Ijaw nation.”
The aggrieved elders disclosed that a strong worded message have since been sent across to the security agencies that in case of any confrontation between the two factions of the IYC, they should hold already known persons responsible for causing avoidable conflict in Ijaw nation.
