Ijaw group rejects Diri's 'Purported' tag, defends credibility of INC election

...Niger Delta Peoples Assembly defends April 13 poll, urges outgoing INC leadership to avoid constitutional crisis

The Niger Delta Peoples Assembly has rejected Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri’s description of the April 13, 2026 Ijaw National Congress (INC) election as “purported,” insisting the poll was free, fair, and credible.  

In a statement issued in response to a press release from the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, the group acknowledged Diri’s contributions to the Ijaw apex body and his concerns over the planned inauguration of the new executive led by High Chief McDonald Igbadiwei. However, it objected to the public dismissal of the election conducted under a retired Supreme Court justice.  

“We take serious exception to publicly referring to an election conducted by a retired Supreme Court justice as ‘purported,’” the statement read. “The April 13 INC elections, in which most of our members participated as delegates and accredited observers, was free, fair, and credible, as attested to by the INC Board of Trustees, the Western Zone Traditional Rulers Council, the Supreme Egbesu Council, and the Central Zone INC Clan Forum.”

The group recalled that at a March 13, 2026 Ijaw stakeholders’ meeting convened at Government House, Yenagoa, and presided over by the deputy governor, all aggrieved candidates publicly agreed to withdraw court cases to allow the electoral committee to proceed without legal encumbrances.  

It questioned whether the election was labeled “purported” because candidates allegedly backed by “powers that be” failed to win, or because some who withdrew days before the poll later filed frivolous court claims. The group said the electoral committee comprises respected individuals who would comply with any court order halting the inauguration.  

While acknowledging Diri’s role as a former INC organizing secretary and incumbent governor, the assembly stressed that this does not grant him authority beyond what the INC constitution provides.  

“The INC is an independent sociocultural organization of the Ijaw ethnic nationality and should be immune from overbearing external influence in the best interest of the Ijaw nation,” the statement said.  

It urged INC President Prof. Benjamin Okaba and the electoral committee to consult widely and take a position that avoids a constitutional impasse as Okaba’s tenure ends at midnight on May 13, 2026.