Ijaw group berate Clark, Fumudoh for inaugurating factional IYC leaders

—–Timi Pere ———-
An Ijaw group, Western Zone Ijaw Youth Elders frowned at Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark for allegedly inaugurating a faction of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC in his residence at Abuja, noting that his actions fall short of leader of the Ijaw nation.

The group explained that the legally recognized and acceptable President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide is Eric Omare.

In a statement signed by Mr Hendrick Opukeme, Amb. Dibi Yinkore, Don Ben, Gen. Bounanawei, Friday Egbegbe and four others, the Ijaw Youth Elders in the western zone comprising of Delta, Edo and Ondo states rejected the report of the Chief Joshua Fumudoh led IYC peace and reconciliation committee set up by the Bayelsa State Government.

They added Omare as the consensus candidate of the Western zone was elected in Burutu, Delta State, insisting that the faction inaugurated by Clark through the Fumudoh-led committee emerged through an illegal election conducted by past leaders who had no constitutional power to do so.

They condemned the hurried inauguration of a faction of the IYC by Chief Edwin Clark in his residence at Abuja on March 30, 2017, saying that Clark took the decision hurriedly to identify with one faction of the IYC without consultation with stakeholders in Ijaw nation.

According to the statement, the Chief Joshua Fumudoh Peace and Reconciliation Peace Committee report was biased and premeditated and the committee did a poor job in recognizing a faction of the IYC under flimsy constitutional grounds.

They stated further 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 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.