Ijaw youth factions clash over IYC leadership

Omare, Oweilami lay claims to council’s presidency

A faction led by Pereotubo Oweilami asked his counterpart, Mr. Eric Omare, to stop parading himself as the President of the IYC.

In a statement by the faction’s Spokesperson, Mr. Daniel Dasimaka, the group said the Ijaw nation as well as Ijaw youths knew Oweilami as their only President.

But Omare in a statement said: “I, Eric Omare is the legitimate President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide elected in accordance with the Constitution of the IYC at Burutu, Delta State on the 1^st day of March, 2017. Any other person that is parading himself is just acting out of impunity which must stop”.

He further explained that he emerged as President of IYC through an election conducted at Burutu in accordance with the IYC constitution and established electoral practice and procedure of the IYC.

“I was elected on the first of March, 2017 at Burutu. But on the 6th, they went to Okirika to set up another electoral committee to do another election. My election was supervised by the outgone President, Udengs Eradiri.

“When they set up another electoral committee five days after my election, I went to court to stop that election. Then, they came to court and agreed that they were not going to do another election. But in April, they went ahead and did another election.

“Within the period, they filed a case in the court that I should not parade myself, but they didn’t follow up their case and their case was struck out. But the case I filed challenging their legitimacy is still in court. Who is the impostor?

“If the case I filed against them is still in the court, what is their basis of referring to me as an impostor?

Omare also clarified that on March 15, 2017 when some former leaders and stakeholders of IYC went to Okrika, Rivers hold a convention and set up an electoral committee to conduct election on April 9, the tenure of the Udengs-led exco had long expired.

He said based on the constitution of the and following the judgements of the court, which confirmed that the three-year tenure of the Udengs-led executive expired on March 2nd, a new leadership was expected to take over by that date.

“Therefore, at the time the Okrika parallel convention took place, the tenure of the Udengs-led exco had expired; hence aggrieved members of the Udengs led exco had no power whatsoever to call for a parallel convention”.

But Dasimaka in the statement maintained that Omare had no right to parade himself as the President of IYC.

He said: “The attention of the IYC has been called to the activities of the immediate past spokesman of the Council, Eric Omare, who goes about town parading himself to the unsuspecting members of the public as the President of the IYC.

“Ordinarily, given that the entire Ijaw nation as well as Ijaw youths know their one and only President, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, whose election heralded wild jubilations across the length and breadth of Ijaw land because it reflected that genuine consent of Ijaws of all walks of life, we would not have commented on this matter.

“However, mindful of the enormity of allowing such needless confusion in our land in this critical juncture of our existence, we now write, for the sake of clarity and emphasis, state that Eric Omare is not President of the IYC as that position is already occupied by the duly elected Oweilaemi.”

He urged the general public, especially their partners and  the media as well as the security agencies to desist forthwith from dealing with Omare in such a capacity, saying that Ijaw youths could not indemnify any loss arising therefrom.

He said the action would only embolden him (Omare) and continue to threaten the fragile peace the Ijaw currently enjoyed in their land by continually parading himself as president.

Dasimaka said: “Nonetheless, he (Omare) can only do that as a private citizen and not one endangering the peace by pretending to be President, even though he is very much aware of the binding decision of the Ijaw Eminent Persons’ Committee on this matter.

“The committee declared Oweilaemi as the authentic President of the IYC after considering all facts presented to it.  It is worthy of note that Omare and his two remaining co-travellers submitted to this Committee and its processes.

“Omare and two others reneged when the committee set up by the Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson,  did not dance to their tune and are now attempting in vain to subvert the general will of the Ijaw nation for private ambitions.

“Once more, for the sake of absolute clarity, there is only one IYC National Executive and it is led by Oweilaemi.”