BY JOHN ODHE
Prior to the recently concluded Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) National Executive Council (NEC) election, there were drumbeats of violent crisis. Many concerned citizens of the Ijaw nation worldwide were apprehensive that the election of the foremost Ijaw youth body might not hold. There was a cloud of tension. Anxiety and fear rend the air.
There were two forces militating against each other and singing songs of violence preparatory to the electoral exercise.
They were the camp of the immediate past IYC president, Comrade Jonathan Lokpobiri and his factional counterpart, Dr. Alaye Theophilus. Both Lokpobiri and Alaye had run parallel IYC presidential leaderships all through the immediate past tenure.
In the same vein, each of the two Ijaw youth leaders wanted to produce their successor. This led to a sensed atmosphere going into the polls. Each camp had their electoral committee prepared to hold separate elections.
The handwriting of premonition was so bold in the air that the exercise was going to be rancorous and most probably, bloody.
Then, the peace advocate, the governor of Bayelsa State, the one they refer to as the governor general of Ijaw nation, Senator Douye Diri, stepped in.
In his usual mastery for piece keeping, Diri invited both parties and other aggrieved persons to Creek Haven, the Bayelsa seat of power, for a brotherly meeting.
The peace loving governor graphically explained to them why it was utterly unnecessary for Ijaw youths to fight themselves or shed their own blood for the sake of power.
At the end of the meeting, strained nerves were calmed. Brotherly love reigned. Both parties went home with new orientation to see themselves as one family covered by an Ijaw large mbrella.
As a result, the just concluded IYC electoral exercise has gone down in history as the most peaceful and widely accepted youth election in the history of the Ijaw nation.
Following the peaceful and credible election conducted by the Dr. Charles Ikimi-led National Electoral Committee, Comrade Doubra Collins Okotete, emerged as president-elect. No two factions this time.
Other elected officers are Comrade Aladiokuma Henry Hart, deputy national president, Comrade Igbeta Ayebakuro Itari, national secretary, Comrade Johnny Torudonkumor James, assistant national secretary and Comrade Omaghomi Olu-Derimon, national mobilization officer.
Others are: Comrade Imomotimi James, deputy national mobilization officer, Comrade Victor Ibaningo, national spokesman, Comrade Harry, national treasurer, Comrade Frank Akenfa, national financial secretary, Comrade Meshack Sintei, national legal adviser, and Comrade Ebi Kutu Ayibakuro, national woman leader.
Certificates of Return were presented to the newly elected executives, while the outgoing president, Jonathan Lokpobiri, announced July 22, 2026, as the date for their formal inauguration.
Accolades Heap On Diri: Meanwhile, governor Diri’s adeptness in turning what would have become the fiercest IYC election to the most seamless, peaceful exercise in history has not gone unnoticed.
The governor’s gesture is attracting accolades from sociopolitical groups in the Niger Delta and personalities from the Ijaw nation.
One amongst such groups is the Niger Delta Development and Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) which commended the Bayelsa governor for his intervention and reconciliation efforts, which it said were pivotal to the successful conduct of the 10th national congress and election of new executives of the Ijaw youth council.
In a statement issued in Yenagoa, the Executive Director of NIDDEMOG, Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, described the transition as one of the most peaceful, credible and transparent in the council’s recent history.
James attributed the successful outcome of the exercise to Diri’s decision to bring together founding leaders and critical stakeholders of the IYC to oversee the transition process.
According to him, the governor’s mandate to Kuku, alongside other founding leaders and stakeholders to midwife the process helped build confidence among delegates and ensured an inclusive, transparent and rancour-free election.
He said the governor’s approach reflected his commitment to peace, dialogue and the unity of the Ijaw nation, describing Diri as “a true pan-Ijaw leader whose leadership continues to inspire confidence across the Niger Delta.”
The NIDDEMOG executive director, who is also a founding leader of the Ijaw youth council and the immediate past national vice president of Ijaw National Congress (INC), congratulated the newly elected IYC president and members of the national executive Council on their emergence.
He urged the new leadership to seize the opportunity to reposition the council to address the aspirations of Ijaw youths and respond to contemporary social, economic and developmental challenges facing the region in line with the vision and mission of the Kaiama Declaration.
James also applauded the founding leaders and stakeholders of the IYC for setting aside personal interests to work collectively for the unity, stability and progress of the organisation, noting that their patriotism contributed significantly to the peaceful transition.
Also on the list of those pouring encomiums on the governor is former Special Adviser to the president on Niger Delta/chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr. Kingsley Kuku, who hailed Diri for resolving the leadership crisis in the IYC and ensuring a peaceful election transition.
Kuku, a one-time IYC spokesman, said in a press release that the recent rancour-free conduct of the foremost Ijaw ethnic nationality youth organisation’s national election was a defining moment in its history and in the collective journey of the Ijaw nation.
He commended the Bayelsa governor for successfully facilitating the reconciliation process that resulted in differing interests within the organisation sheathing their swords and coming together during the July 11, 2026 election held in Yenagoa Bayelsa State.
