Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State on Friday praised individuals and institutions including the six presidential candidates and the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE) for their efforts towards actualising a peaceful and seamless transition of leadership in the Ijaw National Congress (INC).
Doubara Atasi, Senior Special Assistant on Media to Deputy Governor Peter Akpe said his principal gave the applause on behalf of Diri during a stakeholders meeting at the weekend in Government House, Yenagoa.At the meeting, candidates gunning for the INC presidency agreed to withdraw all subsisting litigations concerning the Ijaw National Congress election.
Diri appreciated the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Bolade Igali, the Chairman and members of the INC National Electoral Committee and other stakeholders who contributed to the resolution reached at the meeting.
Drawing an analogy from the scriptures, particularly First Kings Chapter 3, the governor likened the unanimous agreement of the candidates to withdraw all pending court cases to the decision of the true mother of the disputed baby who pleaded with King Solomon not to cut the child in two.
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According to Diri, the resolution reflects the enthusiasm, love and patriotic fervour in all the presidential candidates to move the Ijaw nation forward. Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the candidates including High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe who secured the injunction from a Port Harcourt High Court stopping the INC Elections billed for last weekend, confirmed the agreement and pledged commitment towards the peaceful emergence of the next President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organisation.
Also speaking, the President of Ijaw National Congress, Professor Benjamin Okaba, expressed delight at the outcome of the meeting, pointing out that the resolution would enable the National Executive Council of the INC and other critical stakeholders to settle all grey areas within the 30-day window given by the convention.
He said he’s making the culmination of several efforts alongside some members of the INC Exco to ensure that the transition proceeds smoothly, and we will reach the appropriate destination. He assured the people at the meeting that the candidates would explore the 30-day window given to them by the Convention to ensure that the election proceeds. He said all appropriate organs of the INC will start work immediately, while we monitor the processes of the withdrawal.
