Ijaw Leaders Distance Themselves from INC Chiefs, Vow to Step in and Resolve Conflict

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By Adesina Wahab

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The Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF) has distanced itself from the current leadership and global structure of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), alleging constitutional breaches and a breakdown of internal democratic processes within the organisation.

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In a statement signed by its Chairman, Chief Bukazi Etete, and Secretary, Mr. Efiye Bribena, the forum expressed concern over what it described as the INC leadership’s failure to operate in accordance with the organisation’s constitution.

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According to the IEF, no institution can legitimately claim to represent the Ijaw people while failing to adhere to the constitutional framework from which it derives its authority.

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The forum further alleged that public confidence in the INC’s ability to protect the political, economic and environmental interests of the Ijaw people had diminished.

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As a result, the IEF said it would resume the advocacy role it played between 2015 and 2021, when it said internal disputes within the INC affected the organisation’s operations.

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The statement read in part: “Until all constitutional issues affecting the status, governance and legitimacy of the INC are conclusively resolved and constitutional order is restored, the Ijaw Elders Forum shall fill the resulting vacuum in advancing the collective interests of the Ijaw people, as it did between 2015 and 2021.”

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The forum said its intervention was intended as a temporary measure aimed at promoting the interests of the Ijaw nation until the leadership issues within the INC are resolved.

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It added that its objectives include promoting transparency and accountability in Ijaw advocacy, safeguarding the constitutional, political and resource rights of the Ijaw people, fostering regional unity, and engaging constructively with governments and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta.

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The IEF also called on traditional rulers, youth organisations, women’s groups, professionals and other stakeholders across the Niger Delta to support what it described as efforts to restore constitutional governance and institutional integrity within the Ijaw socio-cultural body.

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The leadership of the Ijaw National Congress had not responded to the forum’s claims as of the time of filing this report.

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