By John ODHE, YENAGOA
The Outgoing Vice President 2 of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Alabo Nengi James has described as sacrilegious the purported inauguration of a new National Executive Council (NEC) of the INC in Warri, Delta State on Thursday.
James, who is one of the INC presidential candidate but boycotted the April 13th controversial election due to litigations, said apart from his rejection of the April 13th election, the reported inauguration of a supposed new INC executive council outside Bayelsa, headquarters of the Ijaw nation, further desecrated the constitution, customs and traditions of the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria.
The Nembe chief was delivering a valedictory speech in his office at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Thursday May 14th, 2026 to mark his exit from office as vice president of the INC following the expiration of their 5-year tenure.
He lamented that despite the intervention of the Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri to broker peace by instructing the Benjamin Okaba led national executive council to halt the planned inauguration pending resolution of all ongoing court cases, they refused to listen to the voice of reason.
Quoting sections of the INC constitution, James said the power to inaugurate INC executive council lies solely on the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE), wondering where Okaba and his men got the power to move inauguration ceremony elsewhere without authorisation from CITRE.
He said, in accordance with the constitution of the INC, he would be proceeding to the office of the chairman of CITRE to officially handover official documents in his possession, noting that as it stands, CITRE has taken over the affairs of the INC until normalcy returns.
He, however, expressed optimism that the Ijaw nation would get it right again, stating that he would continue to stand for the truth, what is right and the progress of the Ijaw people as he had always done.
