Yenagoa—The twice postponed fourth national convention of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has been rescheduled for January 21,2005. The convention earlier scheduled for November 19, 2004 was scuttled mid way and shifted to December 10, 2004 following a threat from the Eastern zone to form a parallel executive should Prof Kimse Okoko be returned as INC president and even obtained a court injunction restraining the election planning committee from conducting the election.
The new date, contained in a statement issued by the secretary to the Bayelsa State government, Dr Steve Azaiki, also announced the dissolution of the present nine man election committee headed by Mr. R.E. Esiti and called for the presentation of three representatives each from the zones duly approved by the zonal chairmen.
Dr Azaiki in the statement further called on the zonal chairmen to forward names of the approved representatives to his office on or before December 20, 2004.
The secreatary to the state government therefore used the opportunity to call on all Ijaws to shun discord and build upon the achievements of their past leaders.
Vanguard reliably gathered that the shift in date from December 10, 2004 followed the meeting of Ijaw leaders from the three zones where all those present sat down, took the complaints and reports from all the three zones of the Ijaw nation on how best to move the body forward and all agreed that in the interest of Ijaw people that they must all go back to Yenagoa for a valid, authentic and hitch free INC election.
It would be recalled that the postponement of the November 19, 2004 convention was as a result of a court injunction granted by a judge of the Rivers State high court, Hon Justice M Kobani, restraining the INC election committee from conducting the election.
In order to preserve the unity of the Ijaw nation, the Bayelsa State governor appointed the Chief Edwin Clark committee to reconcile the aggrieved parties who were against the zoning formula which gave the central zone the presidency of the INC.
As the convention was going on at the Yenagoa Sports Complex, a high powered delegation from the Eastern zone arrived the venue of the convention and the proceeding took a new twist when at about 3 pm some members of the central zone of the INC also got an injunction to counter the one granted by the Port Harcourt high court so that the election could hold.
