Secret Reporters No place to hide
There comes a time in life when silence is betrayal and that time has come for us in relation to the crisis bedevilling the IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL. For those of us who have broken the silence of the night have once again seen that the calling to speak is often times a vocation of agony, bitterness and sorrow, but we must speak. We must speak with all sense of humility that is appropriate to our limited vision.
It is on the strength of the above that we are painfully constrained to write you this open letter in view of your very unpleasant, unfatherly and unpatriotic role in the crisis that has engulfed our dear COUNCIL (IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL) which is inimical to our unity as a people and as a Nation.
Sir, you would recall that arising from the inconclusive National election of the IYC on the 28th of October, 2013, in Yenagoa, the ijaw National Congress our parent body who managed the process caused a meeting through its acting President, Engr. Charles Ambaowei for the 5th of January, 2014 at your country home, Kiagbodo in Delta State. Among the issues discussed was the immutability of the November 4th decision of the NEC of ijaw national congress which officially cancelled the 28th election and resolved in favour of a new and credible election. ( See resolution 3 and 4 respectfully.)
In the said meeting, you categorically stated in the presence of Dr Chris Ekiyor, candidates, delegates and the duo of INC National Secretary, Theodor Izonfade and INC Acting President Engr Charles Ambaowei that there is no President of IYC and that Udengs should stop parading himself as President of Council. You further submitted that as chairman board of trustee of the INC, you endorse the re-scheduled election slated for 25th of January as the only just alternative to a lasting and sustainable peace in the council.
In furtherance of your resolve, you called for another meeting of selected leaders to build consensus within the three zones. This meeting was held at your private residence in Abuja on the 11th of January, 2014. Prominent among the dignitaries who honoured this meeting were Dr Chris Ekiyor, Mayor of Patani and former President of IYC, chief Broderick Bozimo, former minister of Police affairs, Mrs Suoware, former chairman of the Bayelsa state civil service commission, chief Francis Doukpola a frontline Ijaw leader and politician, Engr. Charles Ambaowei, Acting President of INC, Arc Dr Ikoni, and all members of the INC National Executive, Prof Dimie former President of INC, TK Ogoriba, Mr Jonjon, former President of IYC, the Speaker of the IYC mobile parliament, the Clark of the parliament and the three zonal chairmen of council among others respectively. In the said meeting, it was unanimously resolved again of the inevitability of the election as there is no subsisting President of Council since the 28th election was inconclusive by reason of gross irregularities.
Premised on the above, the INC which had been mandated by both the ijaw leadership and the IYC convention to organize a free, fair and acceptable election consequently made every arrangement for the completion of a successful election at Okrika, in Rivers state. While these noble men were keeping faith with their mandate for the election, you Papa Clark received in audience at your residence in Abuja Gov. H S Dickson and his commissioner for ijaw affairs, Felix Tuodolor. Shortly after the said visit, you made frantic efforts to ensure that the rescheduled election did not only see the light of the day but also that the illegally imposed candidate, Udengs Eradiri be sustained as President of IYC.
Consequently, you persuaded the INC to suspend the planned election, an appeal the duo of Theodor Izonfade and Arc Amagbe Kentebe, Secretary and Organising Secretary respectively promised to discuss in Exco as they found no justification on behalf of the INC leadership to warrant such an unpatriotic decision from your person. They however continued with the prosecution of the election. When it became apparent that the Victor Burubo led INC electoral team were ready to continue with the planned election, you connived with the Gov. HS Dickson and procured a fraudulent and questionable court order in Bayelsa to stop the election. When it also became clear to you that the court order will not deter the electoral team nor the candidates and the delegates from electing their leadership you further put enormous pressure on Tom Ateke to withdraw his hosting promise. On his part, Ateke Tom disagreed with you on the basis that it was not only unpatriotic but an adventure that will lead to serious chaos in Ijaw land. Given his position, you further used the paraphernalia of office of the Gov of Bayelsa and caused security personnel to go and stop the election at Ateke Toms Okochiri Community in Okrika Local Government Area and pleaded with him to discontinue the planned election. When all this attempts seem failing, some agents believed to be working for your interest called some of the candidates like Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri and Elvis Donkemezuo and threatened them to abandon their avowed commitment to ensure that an election is conducted for members to exercise their right to vote and be voted for on the guise that they are against President Jonathan if they refuse to accept the offer and that they will face dire consequences.
While you were busy carrying out this nefarious act of yours you also encouraged your partner in crime, Gov H S Dickson to use the state security apparatus to threaten, arrest and in some cases chase certain persons out of the state especially those who refuse to compromise their position regarding a just and fair election. Others who couldn’t muster the courage were paid handsomely to the tune of five hundred thousand naira and a promise of an appointment of SSA. The results of this uncharitable and immodest actions has caused untold suffering to innocent travellers along the east west road as the aggrieved candidates have in their expression of their anger and fight for justice protested peacefully along the Mbiama junction of the east west road three times consecutively leading to a total blockade of the road.
The most recent being on the 25th of January, 2014 at about 3:38pm. It took the combined wisdom, respect and persuading power as well as the respect the members of the Council has for Hon Kingsley K. Kuku and Alamieyeseigha that led them to peacefully disperse with a promise from the two leaders that there is no president in IYC and that in seven days, they will fashion out a new process that will culminate in the election of a new leadership of Council.
In all of this you have remained unperturbed while living in the comfort of your home to cause substantial social and economic damage to ijaw Nation and the Nation at large. As your children who held you in high esteem, we are at a loss to reconcile your super public personality in preaching for the sustenance of equality, justice and fair play in the wider political landscape of our great Nation Nigeria while you are clearly without any hesitation committing the greatest crime of injustice in ijaw land thereby leading to deaths and substantial loss in economic terms despite repeated admonition from INC and well-meaning IJAWS to desist from this oppressive and destructive approach in the affairs of the IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL.
In any case, let us assure you that our commitment to ensure that justice is achieved in the affairs of council is non-negotiable. As you begin another questionable meeting with candidates, let us hope that reason would have prevailed on you to do what is just and fair and leave up to your National reputation because injustice to any man anywhere is a threat to humanity and a threat to our collective interest as a Nation. Given the consistent show of penchant for the sustenance of this illegality using the powers of the bayelsa state government, we have collectively directed our lawyers to write our WILLS in preparation for you to bury us and execute our wills as our mark of respect for your interference and creating the room for our untimely demise.
We now use this medium to appeal to our father and leader, His Excellency, the President and commander in chief of the Federal republic of Nigeria, GCFR , Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to call Gov HS Dickson and papa Clark to order and desist same from further manipulation and unpatriotic interference in the affairs of the IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL.
Accordingly, it is pertinent to note that it was while fighting for the sustenance of justice through an election that our former President Senator Tare Sekibo met his untimely death in Bayelsa. We therefore hope that the actors in this unending quagmire will do the needful by honouring him with his last wish before he died; that of conducting another befitting, free and fair contest to elect a new leadership as part of his dying legacy.
In expressing our position, if we have stated anything that overstates the truth which indicates an unreasonable impatience for truth, equity and justice for all concerned, we ask that you please forgive us. But if we have stated anything that understates the truth which indicates an unreasonable patience for fairness, equity and justice which allow us to settle for anything less than brotherhood, fairness, equity among ijaw youths, may GOD ALMIGHTY forgive us.
Finally, we want to state that our resolve is absolute, and that there is no President in council and we will continue to fight for a just, fair and transparent election that will allow our members to elect a credible leadership of their choice. This is an ideal we are ready to live for and achieve, even if it means putting our lives on the line, we shall be ready to die in the pursuit of true peace, through justice.
LONG LIVE IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL
LONG LIVE IJAW NATION LONG LIVE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
Sign
EBI WARIBIGHA
SIR, JONATHAN LOKPOBIRI
COMR ELVIS DONKEMEZUO
ENGR ABIDDE ROBINSON
CLEOPAS JOHNBULL
BARRISTER CHARLES OMUSUKU
FRED AFOEGBA
SUNNY OGORI
ENG BRISTOL EMMANUEL A.
PETER IGBIFA
DENNIS OTOBO
BENSTOWE
Cc;
The President, commander in-chief of the federal republic of Nigeria GCFR
The National Security Adviser
The Ijaw national congress.
